Govt expects virus cases to rise to 225,000 by month-end.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- The government believes that coronavirus cases will go up to 225,000 by June 30 in the country but expresses satisfaction that the number is still lower than its expectations.

The country reported 3,092 Covid-19 cases and 73 deaths over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 197,705 and casualties to 4,004.

'We were expecting over 300,000 cases in the country by June 30, but they will remain less than 225,000,' Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said at a press conference with Information Minister Shibli Faraz on Friday.

After a meeting held at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to review the Covid-19 situation, Mr Umar, however, said the danger was still there as the situation could turn worse if people did not follow the government's standard operating procedures (SOPs).

3,092 people test positive for Covid-19 and 73 lose their lives in 24 hours

He said the government had taken three major steps that led to a decline in the tally of coronavirus cases in the country. 'First we made it mandatory on May 30 that everyone will have to use face mask in public places, since June 4 administrative actions were expedited regarding implementation of SOPs and from June 14 smart lockdowns were enhanced and Covid-19 hotspots were declared in 20 major cities,' he added.

Mr Umar, who is also head of the NCOC, warned people to adopt precautionary measures, otherwise the number of Covid-19 cases would increase to the extent that the country's health system would collapse. 'Now it's in our hand that we take precautionary measure and...