'Lockdown' begins as Pakistan reports 140 deaths from Covid.

ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus claimed 140 more lives across Pakistan on Friday, as the country put in place extra restrictions to contain the spread of virus during Eid holidays.

A total of 4,298 new infections were detected on Friday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 850,131. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 44,846 samples were tested, out of which 4,298 turned out to be positive. The positivity rate of Covid-19 cases was recorded at 9.58 per cent.

On Thursday, National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) had given an additional task to the law enforcement authorities (LEAs) to manage entry and exit points at tourist spots during Eid holidays. In special directives issued to the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Frontier Works Organization (FWO), the NCOC said that they should highlight banners at the toll plaza regarding the government's decision to ban visits to tourist places during Eid holidays. The NCOC said that the provinces have also issued directives to restrict movement during holidays, besides also banning tourist spots and hotels in these areas.

Meanwhile, as many as 1995 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Punjab on Friday while the pandemic claimed 82 lives in 24 hours which turned the death toll to 8,809. According to the data shared by the spokesperson of Punjab Primary...