Four cases emerge from educational institutions
One teacher and two students of Government Girls Laboratory High School Delhi Chowk, and a student of the Government Girls High School of Katchi Basti in Kamalia, Toba Tek Singh, were diagnosed positive for COVID-19 via randomized sampling by the district health authorities.
Mini-lockdowns back in style
Saima Villas and Samama City of Karachi’s Manghopir area to remain sealed from October 1 to October 15 due to a notable uptick in emerging COVID-19 cases. Around 60% of the fresh cases reported across the province were detected in Karachi. The city is the first to re-impose smart lockdowns, following an extended period of ‘normalcy’ when the lockdowns had officially ended after the Eid-ul-Azha holidays in late July.
With the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies, all businesses, services, and public transport in the area will remain suspended for two weeks. Only one resident per household will be allowed outside to purchase necessary food items and medicine.
Meanwhile, health officials have requested district authorities to instate a smart lockdown in Faisalabad’s Madina Town after 10 people, including four children, tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease. The patients were members of two families residing in block Y of the posh locality.
Coronavirus situation update
Active cases fell from 8,702 on Tuesday, September 29 to 8,285 on Wednesday, September 30, deflating the daily positivity rate from 2.06% to 1.58%. 543 cases emerged in the past 24 hours while 616 managed to recover from COVID-19 at a stabilized rate of 95.1%. Five fatalities were reported across the country – two from Sindh, and one each in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, raising the national death toll to 6,484.