Pakistan imposes partial lockdown amid third virus wave

Parts of Pakistan are going under partial lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 amid a surge in new infections.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that areas of the country including the capital of Islamabad and the greater Punjab territory would be under a mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions on public life.

Businesses that violate capacity restrictions are facing fines, the AP reported, and social distancing is being enforced as well.

Pakistani officials reported more than 2,000 confirmed cases in a single day on Thursday, the first time infections have spiked that high since January. News of the next wave of infections in the country comes as a number of European countries are preparing for a third wave with similar measures.

Health officials in Paris are reportedly considering more drastic lockdown measures after admitting that previous curfews had failed to blunt the virus’s spread.

Just over 605,000 total cases have been confirmed in Pakistan since the pandemic began, and more than 13,000 people have died.