Pakistan records 75 deaths, 2,751 new virus cases

On Jul 10, 2020 Last updated Oct 4, 2021

ISLAMABAD: At least 75 people succumbed to the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 5, 058.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday, another 2,751 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan over the past 24 hours. It brings the overall positive cases to 243,599.

Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.

As of Friday, there are 100,900 coronavirus cases in Sindh, 85,261 in Punjab, 29,406 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,099 in Balochistan, 13,829 in Islamabad, 1,619 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,485 in Azad Kashmir.

According to the NCOC, 2,375 people are in critical condition while 149, 092 people have made full recovery from the disease.

Australia to halve returning citizens each week as virus surges

Australia will halve the number of citizens allowed to return home from overseas each week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said, as authorities struggle to contain a Covid-19 outbreak in the country’s second most populous city.

From Monday, Australia will cap the figures at 4,000 people each week, about half the number that have been returning. Those who return will also have to pay for their quarantine stays.

Covid-19 may cause $3.6bn loss to GDP: World Bank report

A new World Bank policy brief on the tourism sector of South Asia estimates that the potential loss to Pakistan’s GDP due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic would be $3.64 billion, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is likely to suffer $10 million to $20m in losses.

The policy brief, ‘Covid-19 and Tourism in South Asia’, further estimates that the impact of coronavirus outbreak has put at risk 880,000 jobs in the tourism sector of Pakistan.

A summary of Covid-19 tourism response activities by the government lists cash grant or subsidies, tax rebates/relief/extension, fee/bills waivers, tourism communications or crisis task force, support for industry to address contamination, repurpose tourism assets for crisis operations, national carriers waiving cancellation fees and maintain cargo operations of national carriers.