Pakistan on Monday imposed lockdowns locally in a number of coronavirus hotspots amid warnings of a second wave of infections.
Provincial government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said several neighbourhoods in the southern city of Karachi have been put under mini lockdowns, with no one allowed to leave or enter.
In Pakistan administered Kashmir, authorities announced they would reinforce a complete lockdown, with nobody allowed to enter or leave.
Pakistan lifted almost all restrictions on May 6 but started sealing off localised virus hotspots from June, a strategy that had helped the country regain control over its rising caseload.
Several schools and colleges have also been closed across the country after staff or students were found to be infected with the virus.
Provincial health minister Taimur Jhagra said more than a dozen schools were shuttered in the north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday alone.
According to official statistics, a spike in new infections since schools were reopened from mid-September has brought the country’s number of active cases to nearly 10,000 compared to around 6,000 three weeks ago.
More than 315,000 people have been infected in Pakistan so far with over 6,500 related deaths.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), a body representing health practitioners, warned that a second wave might have already arrived.
Doctors at PMA said in a statement that they were concerned about reopening of schools at the start of the winter.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged people to wear face masks to stem the spread of the disease.
AFP