Asia

Pakistan Sees ‘Unmistakable Signs’ of Rise in Coronavirus

Cattle is traded at a market on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan in July 2020. Many people bought sacrificial animals for the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha online this year, so the market was less busy due to the coronavirus outbreak. / Kyodo

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By Kyodo News 16 October 2020

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s planning minister on Thursday warned of another large-scale lockdown in the country, saying there are “unmistakable signs” of a rise in coronavirus cases due to people ignoring safety measures.

Asad Umar, who also chairs the National Command and Operation Center tasked with containing the spread of the virus, cited the growing “national positivity” rate, or the number of those infected as a percentage of those tested.