Coronavirus cases in Pak rises to 13,328; death toll 281

Pakistan's coronavirus cases have climbed to 13,328 while the death toll from the pandemic has reached 281 with 12 more fatalities, the health ministry said on Monday. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, more than 3,000 people have recovered from the contagion.

The ministry said that Punjab has reported 5,446 cases, Sindh 4,615, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 1,864, Balochistan 781, Gilgit-Baltistan 318, Islamabad 245 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 59 cases. The coronavirus tally in Pakistan has climbed to 13,328 while 281 people have died due to the sickness, including 12 in the last 24 hours, it said.

So far, 150,756 tests have been conducted including 6,391 in the last 24 hours, while the authorities announced to increase the number of daily tests to 20,000 from the next month. The government said that an in-camera meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease will be held on Monday at the Parliament House to review the impact of the continuous lockdown on the country's economy.

It will also receive recommendations from representatives of traders and the business community for formulating a strategy to deal with the crisis. President Dr. Arif Alvi visited mosques in the Bara Kahu area of Islamabad on Sunday night to check if the guidelines were being followed. He directed the mosque administrations to ensure the implementation of preventive measures, necessary to control the spread of COVID-19.

The president and leading clerics signed a 20-point agreement to allow prayers in mosques on certain safety conditions.