Islamabad: In the midst of battling a third coronavirus wave, Pakistan recorded over 5,000 fresh COVID-19 infections again in the last 24 hours, after it had breached the mark on Friday.
As many as 5,020 people tested positive for the virus on Saturday, while 81 deaths were reported in the country, Geo News reported citing data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
As of April 4, the total number of active cases in the country has reached 60,072, while the death toll has risen to 14,778. Health experts had earlier expressed their concerns over the surge in COVID-19 cases across Pakistan, especially in children, reported Geo News.
The death rate among children, as per health officials, is much lower than adults but since they can be potential carriers of the virus, children have become a major cause for the spread of the disease.
On Friday, Pakistan had reported 5,234 COVID-19 cases, the highest number of cases so far this year. To prevent the spread of the virus, the country’s government continues to tighten social distancing and movement restrictions, implementing a new ban on all gatherings in areas with a high number of cases.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom on Friday said it would add Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the Philippines to its travel “red list”, banning entry of people arriving from those countries unless they are British or Irish nationals.
“From 4 am on April 9, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines and Bangladesh will be put on the list, the government said, joining about three dozen other nations mainly in Africa, the Middle East and South America,” the UK government said in a statement.
Those who come to Britain from countries on the red list will be refused entry while returning Britons must submit to 10 days of mandatory quarantine in hotels, Dawn reported.