Coronavirus: Punjab decides to impose Section 144

LAHORE: A meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Secretary decided enforcement of section 144 across the province amid apprehensions about novel coronavirus, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The meeting reviewed precautionary measures regarding prevention of coronavirus in Punjab.

The session also decided to cancel training at all police training centres across the province.

The meeting declared the police training centre at Kalashah Kaku as quarantine centre for suspected patients of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a mysterious pneumonia-like disease.

The meeting also decided that the wedding functions in the province will only be permitted within premises of a house.

The meeting also warned of legal action over calling teachers to academic institutions in the province.

The provincial government has imposed ban over all educational, religious and political gatherings under section 144.

Coronavirus cases across the World

It is to be mentioned here that the global number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 now stand at 156,745, with 5,839 deaths.

As of today over 75,000 people have recovered, Johns Hopkins University said. The institution runs a live tracker of coronavirus cases, based on official figures.

The death toll in Italy has scaled up to 1441, while over 21,000 people have been infected by novel coronavirus in the country.

The coronavirus death toll in the UK nearly doubled in just 24 hours, with the number of confirmed cases of the disease surging by hundreds. Ten more patients died after contracting the virus – bringing the total fatalities in the country so far from 11 to 21.

The Spanish government has formally declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus, placing the country in lockdown and ordering people to stay at home for the next two weeks unless they have to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital. The country has reported 191 deaths by coronavirus.

France has reported 91 deaths by the pandemic.

In Middle East, Iran has reported 611 deaths by the disease, while the number of confirmed cases has reached to 12,000.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reported 103 cases, while India has confirmed 107 cases of COVID-19.