Pakistan horror: French woman, 5 children held captive for 12 years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; rescued
The French national has claimed that her husband used to assault them physically and mentally "on a daily basis" and added that he was "very violent".
The number of COVID-19 cases surged to a record high in Pakistan as the governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan announced the partial easing of lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of the virus.
On Friday, the country registered 1,807 cases from the three provinces of Punjab, Sindh and KP alone, taking the national tally to 26,954, Dawn news reported.
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This was the highest daily spike in the number of infections since Pakistan confirmed its first case on February 26.
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The death toll currently stood at 611.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown will be lifted in phases starting from Saturday, despite a surge in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.
PM Khan also warned that the restrictions could be restored anytime if the outbreak worsens.
A notification issued by the KP relief department said businesses associated with the construction industry will be exempt from closure subject to them following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) already issued for industrial units and sale points.
It also added that all shops will be allowed to remain open for four days a week and not later than 4 pm.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that shops will be allowed to open after dawn and will be required to close at 5 p.m.
They will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays which will be “safe days with 100 per cent lockdown”, Dawn news quoted Shah as saying.
The businesses permitted to resume from Monday include shops in rural areas and neighbourhood shops situated in residential localities, excluding large market places.
Earlier, Khan said that the government was trying its best to provide all possible relief to the people in view of the coronavirus situation, adding that despite the difficult circumstances, the government announced an economic package of 1.25 trillion PKR,
Last week, Imran Khan government has extended the countrywide lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic for 15 more days until May 9 amid doctors warnings against easing restrictions.
Earlier, the government approved a Rs 700 crore special relief package for labourers to help them face the economic fallout of the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Over 4 million worldwide coronavirus cases have been reported so far as confirmed patients tally surges to 4,011,587 with 276,181 deaths while 1,382,394 have recovered.
The United States continues to remain the worst affected nation due to COVID-19 outbreak followed by Spain, Italy, UK, France, Russia and China.
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