Pakistan Hits Daily Low, Cautious Before Holiday

World

July 27th, 8:26am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Vendors stand with their decorated camel while they wait for customers at a cattle market set up for the upcoming Muslim festival Eid al-Adha in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, July 26, 2020. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, the most important Islamic holiday, which begins later this month, marks the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, Abraham to Christians and Jews, to sacrifice his son. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan hit another low in COVID-19 deaths with 20 in the last 24 hours, the lowest daily increase since mid-June. "This is 87% reduction in COVID-19 related deaths," Dr. Zafar Mirza, special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, tweeted Monday. Pakistan´s daily infections also continued to drop with just 1,176 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Since records began in March, Pakistan has recorded 274,288 infections with 241,026 people having recovered from COVID-19. Still with the Muslim holy day of Eid-ul Adha later this week, Mirza said despite the encouraging and consistent drop in infections there is "no place for complacency." Pakistan saw its last spike in cases following the earlier holiday of Eid-al Fitr. Khan and his coronavirus team credit their success against the virus to so-called smart lockdowns, quickly quarantining infection hot spots. At one point, more than 800 hot spots, including markets and residential areas throughout the country, had been on lockdown. Khan ignored those who wanted a complete lockdown, which he said threatened the poorest. Pakistan's poverty rate before the pandemic hovered at around 30%. Economists say it has climbed to 40% since March. Those living below the poverty rate earn about $1.90 a day. Khan´s government handed out a stipend of about $100 to the poorest.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2414031/pakistan-hits-daily-low-cautious-holiday