Coronavirus updates, May 9: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world
Nationwide death toll climbs to 641 as three year old dies in Karachi hospital, five CM House Sindh staffers test positive as total cases shoot past 29,000; global death toll passes 275,000
Updated Saturday May 09 2020
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 29,367 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed in the country.
The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 11:45pm, May 9, is as follows:
Total confirmed cases: 29,367
• Sindh: 10,771
• Punjab: 11,093
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 4,509
• Balochistan: 1,876
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 609
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 430
• AJK: 79
Deaths: 641
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 234
• Sindh: 181
• Balochistan: 24
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4
• Punjab: 194
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 4
Officials have recorded more than 3.95 million cases and more than 273,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December.
Read on for the latest updates from Pakistan and around the world.
Disclaimer: There may be some discrepancy in the number of confirmed cases reported at the country level due to differences in figures quoted by federal and provincial authorities.
Geo News is constantly gathering fresh information from concerned authorities and striving to keep our readers up to date with the most accurate information available.
Orange: General updates coming in from Pakistan
Red: Reports on new cases in Pakistan
Maroon: Reports on new deaths in Pakistan
Green: Reports on recovered patients in Pakistan
END OF LIVE UPDATES FOR MAY 9
Live updates for May 10 to continue here.
12:15am (May 10) — Islamabad, Pakistan — British high commissioner shares video of more than 60 families running diplomile to raise funds
11:44pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Punjab's tally crosses 11,000 with 622 new cases
The total number of cases in Punjab has crossed 11,000 to hit 11,093 after 622 new cases reported by the disaster management authority.
Lahore has the greatest number of infections — 5,190.
With the increase, Pakistan's cases zoomed past 29,000 to 29,367.
11:24pm — Paris, France — Coronavirus death toll passes 275,000 worldwide
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 275,000 people worldwide since it began in China late last year, with more than 85 percent of fatalities in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally compiled from official figures at 1615 GMT.
In total, 275,018 deaths have been reported from 3,955,631 confirmed cases.
Europe is the most affected continent with 154,313 deaths and 1,699,566 cases. The United States is the country with the most deaths at 77,280, following by Britain on 31,241, Italy 30,201, Spain 26,478 and France 26,230.
11:00pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — YDA KP president becomes latest medical worker to fall prey to the virus
The president of the Young Doctors Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Rizwan Kundi, has joined the unfortunate list of medical workers diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country.
He has self-isolated at a hostel for doctors and has expressed the resolve to continue serving humanity as soon as he is able.
Dr Kundi had been treating patients via telemedicine at a facility in Hayatabad. He said that via this new method, young doctors have facilitated over 25,000 patients via Whatsapp calls and messages.
10:47pm — Karachi, Pakistan — PTI's Khurram Sher Zaman accuses Sindh of inflating coronavirus figures
PTI member Khurram Sher Zaman has accused the PPP of presenting exaggerated coronavirus statistics.
"When we go to hospitals, we find out no deaths have occurred from the coronavirus," he said.
He also asked the Sindh government to "soon release SOPs [for traders] and open the province's markets for trade".
10:40pm — New Delhi, India — Indian pharmacist dies after drinking botched coronavirus treatment
An Indian pharmacist died and his boss was left hospitalised after the pair drank a chemical concoction they had developed in an effort to treat coronavirus, police say.
The men worked for a herbal medicine company and were testing their treatment — a mix of nitric oxide and sodium nitrate — at a home in southern Chennai city.
K Sivanesan, 47, died on the spot, said local police chief Ashok Kumar.
His colleague Rajkumar was recovering from the poisoning.
Kumar said Sivanesan bought the chemicals from a local market and developed the formula after conducting research on the internet.
There are no approved medicines or vaccines for treating COVID-19, triggering a global race for a new drug for the disease that has killed nearly 300,000 people.
Nearly 60,000 cases have been detected in India, which has imposed a drastic nationwide lockdown in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.
10:30pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Five CM House Sindh staffers test positive for COVID-19 — including chief minister's aide
Five staffers of the Chief Minister House Sindh — including Murad Ali Shah's assistant — have tested positive for COVID-19.
The CM House staff had been tested for coronavirus after Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah's special assistant Rashid Rabbani contracted the infection.
A clerk, a driver, and a technician employed at the CM House are among those who have been diagnosed with the disease. Sources told Geo News that the employees who tested positive for COVID-19 have been isolated.
10:27pm — Washington, USA — Air Force honours frontline workers in fly past
10:12pm — Moscow, Russia — Virus surge mutes WWII celebrations in Russia as world economy reels
09:35pm — Geneva, Switzerland — Crisis lays bare poverty in Geneva, as thousands queue for food
In one of the world's most expensive cities, thousands of people lined up today for free food, as the COVID-19 crisis casts a spotlight on Geneva's usually invisible poor.
In the Swiss city famous for its private banks, luxury watchmakers and fancy boutiques, people began lining up at 5am (0300 GMT) Saturday, according to the association Caravane de Solidarite, the main organiser of the event.
By the time the distribution at Geneva's Vernets hockey stadium began four hours later, the queue of people, most wearing masks and standing two metres (six feet) apart, stretched and wound for about 1.5 kilometres (1 mile).
Organisers said they believed at least as many people had showed up as a week earlier, when well over 2,000 took part.
"We're in a bit of a crescendo," Silvana Mastromatteo, head of Caravane de Solidarite, told AFP, adding that Saturday's distribution was the sixth the organisation had set up since the crisis began, with more and more people showing up each time.
"We need food," Silvia Mango, a 64-year-old from the Philippines, said after waiting for three hours under a hot spring sun.
09:05pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Punjab govt extends ongoing lockdown till May 31 with certain exemptions
08:55pm — Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir — Random sampling tests turn up negative
Mirpur's deputy commissioner has said that 24 random samples collected yesterday have turned up negative for COVID-19.
A total of 172 random samples have been collected so far in the city and all have come back negative.
08:40pm — Tehran, Iran — More than 1,500 new virus cases reported
Iran has warned that coronavirus infections are rising in the southwest despite falls in other regions, as it announced more than 1,500 new confirmed cases.
"All provinces are showing a gradual drop in new infections... except for Khuzestan, where the situation is still concerning," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in televised remarks.
The health ministry stopped publishing provincial figures for the coronavirus last month.
It has instead opted for a colour-coded system of white for low-risk parts of the country, yellow for medium-risk and red for high-risk areas.
Latest reports have shown Khuzestan red along with a few other provinces, including the capital Tehran and the Shiite clerical centre of Qom, where Iran reported its first cases in February.
Early last week, Iran's official daily caseload hit its lowest level since March 10, but it has since climbed again steadily.
Jahanpour said 1,529 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the overall total to 106,220.
There were 48 new deaths taking the overall toll to 6,589.
Of all those admitted to hospital, 85,064 people had recovered and been discharged.
Experts both at home and abroad have cast doubt on Iran´s official figures, saying the actual number of cases could be much higher.
08:17pm — Karachi, Pakistan — City sees record spike as 691 cases reported in last 24 hours
08:00pm — Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan — Region reports one more death, nine more cases
The Gilgit-Baltistan health department has reported one more death, taking the total number to four in the region.
Nine more cases were also reported, taking the tally of infected to 430.
Five more people also recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 303.
07:53pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — KP reports 13 more deaths, taking provincial toll to 234
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has reported 13 more deaths, taking the provincial death toll to 234.
Of the deceased, seven were from Peshawar and one each from Charsadda, Khyber, Mardan, Swat, Malakand and Abbottabad.
A rise in the number of infections by 182 was also reported, taking the total tally to 4,509.
On a positive note, 53 patients were reported to have recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the number of recoveries to 1,086.
07:39pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh's cases at glance
07:05pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh health dept employees to work on Sunday
The Sindh health department has cancelled the weekly Sunday holiday of employees keeping in view the increasingly worrying coronavirus situation in the province.
Employees will be required to work on May 10, a notification said.
06:58pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Three year old dies in Karachi hospital from COVID-19
The head of the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi has confirmed the tragic death of a thee year old in the hospital who died from COVID-19.
"The child had been transferred to NICH from a private hospital four days prior," said Dr Jamal Raza.
"The child belonged to Sukkur and had pre-existing health conditions," he added.
06:50pm — Paris, France — More than 274,000 dead worldwide: AFP
At least 274,617 people have died of the novel coronavirus since the epidemic surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT based on official sources.
There have been more than 3,946,130 officially recorded cases across the globe.
The United States is the worst-hit country, with 77,180 deaths. Britain follows with 31,241, then Italy with 30,201 deaths, Spain with 26,478 and France with 26,230.
06:22pm — Badin, Pakistan — No new case reported in last 24 hours: assistant commissioner
Badin's assistant commissioner, Asadullah Khoso has reported that no new cases have emerged from Badin in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are six people under treatment there.
06:15pm — Los Angeles, USA — Pedestrians seen on Hollywood Boulevard as California gradually eases coronavirus lockdown
05:48pm — Mexico city, Mexico — Clowns hand out masks to mass transit users
05:20pm — Quetta, Pakistan — Balochistan opens Chaman border for single day as goodwill gesture to Afghans
The Balochistan government has opened the Chaman border for a single day today as a goodwill gesture towards Afghan nationals so they may return to their country.
Any Pakistanis returning to the country from Afghanistan will be kept in the Chaman quarantine centre.
04:52pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Murtaza Wahab shames all those politicking after alarming numbers reported in Khairpur
Murtaza Wahab, the law advisor to the chief minister of Sindh, has shamed everyone indulging in "petty" politicking at a time when the COVID-19 situation is getting increasingly precarious.
Wahab said that out of 350 people tested in Pir Jo Goth in Khairpur, 289 tested positive for COVID-19. That translates to a positive ratio of 82.57%.
"This is how alarming the situation is but some people would still insist that Sindh government is overreacting. Shame on them for doing their petty politics and risking people's lives," he wrote.
04:24pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — PM has sanctioned three flights for US-based Pakistanis: Zulfi Bukhari
The prime minister's aide on overseas Pakistanis, Zulfi Bukhari, has shared some good news for US-based Pakistanis. Three PIA flights scheduled for the US have been sanctioned by the prime minister to run on May 11, 14 and 18.
A fourth, a US chartered flight, will also operate on May 12.
4:00pm — Beijing, China — China admits coronavirus exposed ‘shortcomings’ in healthcare system
The coronavirus outbreak exposed "shortcomings" in China's public healthcare system, a top health official admitted Saturday, saying that reforms are underway to improve the country's disease prevention and control mechanisms.
Li Bin, deputy director of China’s National Health Commission, said the healthcare system had not been adequately prepared, which had left holes in China’s response.
"The novel coronavirus outbreak was a big test that revealed China still has shortcomings in its major epidemic prevention and control system, public health systems and other aspects of responding (to an emergency)," Li told reporters at a press briefing.
China's health authority will build a "centralised, unified and efficient" leadership system that would allow it to respond more quickly and effectively to any public health crisis in the future, Li said.
3:50pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Not satisfied with the current lockdown: PMA
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has hit out at the government and said it was not satisfied with the current lockdown in place in the country.
“We urge the government to follow protocols set forward by WHO,” the medical association said.
The ease in lockdown will lead to an increase in cases, Dr Qaiser Sajjad said. “We are serious about the health of the nation,” he added.
3:40pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — 71 passengers who flew in last week test positive for virus: report
At least 71 passengers who flew in last week from abroad have tested positive for the virus, a report released on Saturday said.
According to the report, on May 1, 249 passengers returned to Pakistan or which 149 tested negative.
“We are waiting for the test result of 18 passengers,” DC Muhammad Ali said. “All the passengers were screened at the airport before being shifted to a quarantine centre.”
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3:20pm — Madrid, Spain — Spain's coronavirus daily death tolls falls to 179
Spain's daily death toll from the coronavirus fell to 179 on Saturday, down from 229 on the previous day, the health ministry reported.
Overall deaths rose to 26,478 and the number of diagnosed cases rose to 223,578, the ministry said.
US tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions
The United States issued a new rule tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists, saying it was in response to the treatment of US journalists in China, a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.
In issuing the new regulation on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security cited what it called China's "suppression of independent journalism."
The regulation, which will take effect on Monday, will limit visas for Chinese reporters to a 90-day period, with the option for extension
3:00pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Pakistan's death toll rises to 623
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has said four news deaths were recorded in the province taking the nationwide death toll to 623.
With the new deaths, Sindh's tally stands at 180.
2:50pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Confirmed cases in Sindh rise above 10,000
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Sindh rose to 10,771 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed across the province.
According to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, 1,080 cases were reported in the province in the last 24 hours.
“There are 8,571 patients under treatment at the moment of which 101 are in a critical condition while 23 are on ventilators,” he said.
The chief minister added that 583 of the cases were reported in Karachi.
2:45pm — Quetta, Balochistan — Govt to take action against businesses violating SOPs: Balochistan govt spokesperson
Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani has said that traders have assured them that they will follow the SOPs put forward by the government during the smart lockdown.
“Strict action to be taken against those violating the SOPs,” Shahwani said. “We had previously sealed shops and imposed heavy fines on those who were violating the rules.
“Traders have guaranteed they will follow the guidelines,” he said, adding that dairy shops, kiryania stores and grocery stores will remain open from 3pm to 5pm.
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2:30pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — Businesses to close by 4pm: KP health minister
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Jhagra has said the provincial government has decided that businesses will close by 4pm.
“Citizens and traders have to be responsible,” Jhagra told a press conference.
Markets will remain closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays," he added.
2:20pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Railways minister says hopeful train operation will resume before Eid
Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said he is hopeful that Railways operation will resume before Eid-ul-Fitr, reported Radio Pakistan.
Rasheed while addressing a news conference in Lahore said a proposal to resume Railways operations will be sent to the federal government in a few days as people were facing transport issues.
He added that the Railways had suffered a loss of around Rs5 billion during the last one month due to the coronavirus situation.
2:10pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — MQM senator says no staff at Parliament Lodges dispensary to conduct tests
MQM Senator Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh has said there was no staff at the dispensary at the Parliament Lodges to conduct the test and that he was asked to go to National Institute of Health (NIH) to have the test done.
“Tests were supposed to be done between 2pm to 5pm today,” he said.
He added that he was directed to get his test done from NIH. “The NIH lab is in a terrible condition. I will get my test done at a private lab now, Shaikh added.
Magic of playing in packed stadiums will be missed, says Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli says the magical atmosphere will be missing if the cricket season currently stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic resumes in empty stadiums.
“Things will still go on, but I doubt that one will feel that magic happening inside because of the atmosphere that was created,” Kohli said.
Read the full story here.
Five worst-hit countries by COVID-19
1:40pm — Moscow, Russia — Russia records more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases in past day
Russian authorities said on Saturday they had recorded 10,817 new cases of the coronavirus in the last day, pushing the nationwide tally to 198,676.
Russia's coronavirus taskforce said that 104 people had died overnight, bringing the national death toll to 1,827.
The country's coronavirus cases overtook French and German infections this week to become the fifth-highest in the world.
Graph: Number of tests across Pakistan
1:20pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — OPDs remain closed in Islamabad
Despite the announcement from PM Imran Khan regarding reopening of OPDs, the clinics remaided shut down in Islamabad.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Poly Clinic administration said that they awaiting the official notification before resuming the OPD operations.1:05pm — London, UK — Britain to introduce two-week quarantine for arrivals: reports
Britain plans to introduce a 14-day mandatory quarantine for most international arrivals, reports said Saturday, despite growing pressure on the government to relax virus lockdown measures.
It comes as the UK, which has the world´s second highest coronavirus death toll after the US, cautiously charts a way forward after imposing strict stay-at-home orders in late March.
Apart from those entering the country from neighbouring Ireland, all people coming into Britain by air, sea and rail will be required to self-isolate for a fortnight, The Times reported.
12:50pm — Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — Lockdown continues in parts of KP as markets mostly remain shut
Lockdown continued in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and capital city of Peshawar on Saturday.
The markets across the province will open from Monday.A day ago, the KP government had allowed businesses to operate four days a week.
Global coronavirus cases top 3.95 million, death toll over 273,000
More than 3.95 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 273,805 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
12:20pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh to establish infectious diseases hospital
Sindh government Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that a hospital solely to deal with infectious diseases will be established in the province.
Wahab said that the 400-bed hospital will be made functional soon to fight the cases related to the pandemic.
“This will be the first of its kind institute for infectious diseases in Pakistan,” he added.12:10pm — Beijing, China — China to reform disease prevention system
China will reform its disease prevention and control system to address weaknesses exposed by the coronavirus outbreak, a senior health official said on Saturday.
“This coronavirus epidemic is a big test of our country’s governance and governing ability, and it exposed the weak links in how we address major epidemic and public health systems,” Li Bin, vice minister of the China National Health Commission, told reporters.
The commission intends to build a “centralised and efficient” chain of command and reform, and modernise the disease prevention and control system, he said.
Graph: Number of ventilators for virus patients in Pakistan
11:55am – Quetta, Pakistan — 13 recover in Balochistan as tally of recovered cases reaches 222
According to Health Department Balochistan, 13 people recovered from the coronavirus at Sheikh Zaid Hospital on Friday.
Following the update, the number of recovered cases reached 222 across the province.
The department said that the number of cases in the province is rising and tally of active cases stood at 1,630.
11:40am –— Islamabad, Pakistan — Markets start reopening after ease in lockdown restrictions
After Prime Minister Imran Khan’s announcement to ease the lockdown from today, markets began reopening to conduct business in the federal capital.
Shopping malls across Islamabad still remained shut as clothing and shoe shops reopened in the city.
Graph: Agewise statistics on cases in Pakistan
Graph: Genderwise breakdown of cases across Pakistan
Graph: Local vs foreign infection cases in Pakistan
11:30am — Bangkok, Thailand — Thailand reports four new coronavirus cases, one new death
Thailand reported four new coronavirus cases and one more death on Saturday, bringing the total to 3,004 cases and 56 deaths since the outbreak started in January.
Slowing numbers of new cases have prompted Thailand to cautiously allow some businesses to reopen after weeks of semi-lockdown.
11:20am — Sydney, Australia — Australia's biggest states hold off relaxing COVID-19 lockdowns
Australia's most populous states held back from easing COVID-19 as some states allowed small gatherings and got ready to open restaurants in line with the federal government's three-stage plan for reopening businesses.
The nation's capital, Canberra, and some states, on Saturday, allowed people to start visiting each other again, with indoor and outdoor gatherings, including weddings, of up to 10 people allowed.
In South Australia, outdoor dining at restaurants and cafes will be allowed from Monday for up to 10 people, and in the Northern Territory, pubs, bars and restaurants will reopen next Friday.
However, the states of New South Wales and Victoria, which make up more than half the country's population and nearly two-thirds of the country's COVID-19 cases, plan to outline plans for easing business restrictions only next week.
11:00am — Karachi, Pakistan — CM Sindh approves increase in KMC employees pay
Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar has said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved an increase in the salaries of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) employees.
“In 2018 there was 20% allowance given to employees while last year a 15% increase was approved,” Akhtar said in a video message.
He added, “As soon as the chief minister signs the summary, we will increase the pay by 15%.”
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10:40am — Washington, US — Key US lawmakers urge international support for Taiwan at WHO: sources
The leaders of US congressional foreign affairs committees have written to more than 50 countries asking them to support Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organisation (WHO), citing the importance of the broadest effort possible to fight the coronavirus pandemic, congressional sources said.
"As the world works to combat the spread of the COVID-19, a novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, it has never been more important to ensure all countries prioritise global health and safety over politics," said the lawmakers' letter.
Chinese company donates protective equipment to Pakistan
10:15am — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Brazil hits new record for daily coronavirus deaths
Brazil registered 10,222 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday and 751 deaths, the health ministry said.
Overall, Brazil has registered 145,328 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and 9,897 deaths.
Coronavirus likely came from bats and can infect cats and ferrets: WHO
US COVID-19 death toll rises by 1,635 to 77,178
9:45am — Islamabad, Pakistan – Confirmed cases in Pakistan climb to 27,000
Confirmed cases in the country jumped to 27,474 after new cases were recorded around the country.
According to the national dashboard, 438 new cases were detected in Punjab, 151 new cases in Balochistan, 51 cases in Islamabad, 27 in Gilgit Baltistan and one new case in Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the last 24 hours.
Punjab leads the tally of confirmed cases in the country with 10,471 cases, followed by Sindh with 9,691 cases. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,327 cases have been reported while Balochistan had recorded 1,876 cases so far. Gilgit Baltistan has recorded 421, Islamabad 609 and AJK has reported 79 cases so far.
9:30am — Islamabad, Pakistan — PM Imran stresses upon out-of-box solutions to deal with COVID-19 challenges
Prime Minister Imran Khan has stressed upon the need for out-of-box solutions to meet the present-day economic challenges in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
He made the remarks while was chairing a meeting to review the economic situation and future outlook of the economy in the wake of COVID-19 situation.
Appreciating the performance of various economic indicators during the last nine months, the prime minister appreciated the finance ministry’s efforts to ensure financial discipline and provision of relief during the COVID-19 situation.
He emphasised that greater attention should be paid to supporting small and medium sector enterprises and the agriculture sector enabling them to create greater job opportunities for the people.
Read the full story here.
9:15am — Berlin, Germany — Confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,251 to 168,551
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,251 to 168,551, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday.
The reported death toll rose by 147 to 7,369, the tally showed.
9:00am — Beijing, China — China reports one new case, 15 asymptomatic cases
China reported one new coronavirus case for Friday, unchanged from the day before, data from the national health authority showed on Saturday.
One new imported case was recorded on May 8, the National Health Commission said in a statement.
China’s total number of coronavirus cases now stands at 82,887, while the death toll from COVID-19, the disease it causes, remained unchanged at 4,633, the national health authority said
12:43am — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh govt to obtain clearance list from Centre for businesses allowed to operate starting Monday
Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani, in a late night press briefing, has said that a list of businesses will be prepared on Saturday and sent to the Centre seeking approval for their resumption on Monday.
He said that the National Coordination Committee had decided that shopping malls, large markets and departmental stores will remain closed.
"In the first phase of the eased lockdown, businesses attributed to the grey structure of construction work had been permitted to resume operations.
"In the second phase, other businesses related to construction have been allowed to resume work," said the minister.
He said that the list will clearly outline which businesses are considered big and which are considered small, said Ghani, adding that it will be sent to the Centre for input. "We will try to finalise a few things in the next two days."
Ateeq Mir, a traders' representative said that the Sindh government had "agreed to a reopening of malls".
"A list of which businesses will ultimately be allowed to open will be sent to the Sindh government [by the Centre]," he said.
10:10pm/May 9 — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh health dept shares list of facilities where you can get tested for COVID-19
For our May 8 coverage of coronavirus click here.
