Pak minister warns against lifting of COVID-19 lockdown

Pakistan Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday warned against lifting the coronavirus lockdown, saying the pandemic in the country would reach its peak by mid-June. Chaudhry expressed his fears about the spread of the virus in a tweet as the Supreme Court on Monday ordered to open markets and shopping malls throughout the week across the country.

Markets and shopping malls in Pakistan were shut down during the lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The minister said that a committee at the Ministry of Science and Technology stressed that "COVID-19 cases would peak by mid-June", while it rejected the theory of "herd immunity", claiming that it could be too dangerous and risky for the nation.

The experts also believe that the coronavirus is not just a flu but far more complicated than that, he said. "A lot of damage could be done if lockdown was lifted with precautions," he said.

The minister also said that the smart lockdown policy of Prime Minister Imran Khan was the best option to deal with the pandemic. Earlier, the government decided to ease the lockdown and various markets and businesses have slowly reopened since last week.

The nationwide tally of coronavirus cases has soared to 43,158, while the death toll stands at 923.