April 2020
1 April
- On 1 April, 252 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 2291. [ citation needed ]
- One death each was reported in KP, Punjab and Sindh, meaning that the number of deaths increased to 31. [158]
- On 1 April, Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that protective kits would be provided to the journalists covering vulnerable areas including quarantine centers. [ citation needed ]
- She also announced the launching of an app called COVID-19 Care for Media to help the journalists affected by the virus.
- Furthermore, newspapers hawkers would also be registered in Ehsaas Emergency Cash program; part of the economic relief package announced by the federal government, as their sales had also been affected due to the outbreak. [159]
- She also announced the launching of an app called COVID-19 Care for Media to help the journalists affected by the virus.
2 April
- On 2 April, 159 new cases were confirmed, bringing the tally to 2450. Four deaths were reported, two from Sindh and one each from KP, and Gilgit increasing the total to 35. [160]
- On 2 April, the Government of Pakistan announced that the Pakistani economy had lost Rs2.5 trillion due to the coronavirus pandemic. [161]
- The Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar announced that the country was extending the ongoing lockdown for another two weeks until 14 April to curb the spread of the pandemic in the country. [162]
3 April
4 April
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases have reached 2,686 with 40 fatalities and 83 recoveries being reported from official sources. [ citation needed ]
- Following are the number of reported COVID-19 cases in provinces: Punjab (1069), Sindh (830), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (343) Balochistan (175), AJK/GB (11/190) and Islamabad Capital Territory (68) [165]
6 April
- Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Sania Nishtar on Monday said that govt has received over 30.5 million SMS on 8171 for financial assistance of Rs12,000 cash grant under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. [166]
8 April
- Total confirmed cases jumped to 4,265 including, Sindh 1,036 cases, Punjab 2,166 cases, 527 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 212 in Balochistan, 83 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 213 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 28 cases in AJK claiming 61 lives in the country so far. [167]
- The payments under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, introduced by the federal government to help the poor and deserving people facing hardship because of the coronavirus lockdown has been started. According to media reports the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme will help 12 million families by providing them financial assistance of Rs. 12,000 per family. [168]
9 April
- 2,136 patients have been tested positive for the epidemic in Punjab, 1128 in Sindh, 470 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 114 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 135 in Balochistan, 98 in Islamabad and 32 in Azad Kashmir.So far, 630 patients have recovered in the country while 25 are in critical condition. [169]
- Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Dr. Zafar Mirza Thursday announced that Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has allowed the local production of raw material of chloroquine as part of efforts to cope with coronavirus challenge.[ citation needed ]
- In a statement, he said the DRAP has also permitted clinical trials of plasma therapy for coronavirus treatment, Electronic/Radio channel reported. The Special Assistant said the drug regulatory body has also allowed the clinical trials of locally manufactured ventilators.[ citation needed ]
- More than fifty companies have been allowed to produce sanitizers to contain the spread of the pandemic. The companies will prepare quality sanitizers as per the directions of the World Health Organization. [170]
10 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 4,601 as of 10 April.[ citation needed ]
- Increase of 279 new cases in the last 24 hours.[ citation needed ]
- The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,279, followed by Sindh 1,128.[ citation needed ]
- The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSR&C) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) are deliberating on strategies to scale-up COVID-19 laboratory testing from the current capacity of 6,000 tests per day to 20,000 tests per day.[ citation needed ]
- Infection prevention and control (IPC) at all sites (health facilities, isolation facilities and the quarantine sites) is still a big challenge.
- The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has granted permission for conducting clinical trials of plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients and trials of locally produced ventilators in Pakistan.[ citation needed ]
- Pakistan has pledged to contribute $3 million in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) COVID-19 Emergency Fund to support regional efforts in the fight against the global pandemic.[ citation needed ]
- Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the decision about easing the countrywide lockdown will be taken after seeking inputs from all the provinces on 14th of this month.[ citation needed ]
- The government has decided to extend the suspension of international and domestic flight operation till April 21, the Aviation Division spokesperson said on Thursday.
- Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Thursday issued schedule for special international flights. The national carrier will continue its flight operation from April 10 to 13 to bring back the stranded Pakistanis from abroad. [171]
11 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 4,788 as of 10 April. Increase of 187 new cases in the last 24 hours.[ citation needed ]
- The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,336, followed by Sindh 1,214.[ citation needed ]
- The first batch of Point of Care (PoC) testing equipment has arrived at WHO Country Office Islamabad. This equipment will be handed over to the Ministry of Health.[ citation needed ]
- The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals in Balochistan. The PPE include N-95 masks, caps, gloves, goggles, face shields, shoe covers and gowns.[ citation needed ]
- The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries on Friday to be cautious about lifting restrictions introduced to curb the spread of the new coronavirus and voiced alarm it was taking hold in Africa.[ citation needed ]
- The European Union has decided to support and strengthen the capacities and engagement of civil society organizations in Pakistan with the purpose of mobilizing communities towards mitigating social and economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.[ citation needed ]
- The Ministry of Science and Technology has offered to repair out-of-order ventilators in government and private hospitals and clinics free of charge, provided these healthcare centers promise that they would provide the repaired equipment to coronavirus patients free of cost as the country is witnessing a medical emergency.
- The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) brings its procured consignment of medical goods and protective equipment from China through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft.
- To support the employment of workers in the face of economic challenges posed by COVID-19, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has introduced a temporary refinance scheme for businesses to discourage them from laying off workers in the wake of the pandemic. [172]
12 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 5,038 as of 10 April. Increase of 250 new cases in the last 24 hours.[ citation needed ]
- The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,425, followed by Sindh 1,318.[ citation needed ]
- The National Disaster Management Authority is dispatching additional Personal Protection Equipment for doctors and health workers of 202 hospitals of Sindh.[ citation needed ]
- More than 1.5 million families will get severely affected if the lockdown continues for two months in Balochistan.[ citation needed ]
- The public sector hospitals of the Islamabad city are again considering extending the closure of Outdoor Patient Departments for one month due to possible high risk of novel coronavirus spread from the facilities, The Nation learnt on Saturday.[ citation needed ]
- The district administration of Rawalpindi has established a 120-bed quarantine facility at Shahbaz Sharif Sports Complex located on Sixth Road.[ citation needed ]
- Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Saturday said the government would bring back 4,000 Pakistanis stranded across the world following Covid-19outbreak through special flights.[ citation needed ]
- Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal said Pakistan has the testing facility available for 75-days to diagnose Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic disease.[ citation needed ]
- Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the incentives announced by the central bank for the business community would prevent massive unemployment in the county because of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic as the health minister warned against easing restrictions at the current stage of the outbreak. [173]
13 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 5,377 as of 13 April. Increase of 336 new cases in the last 24 hours. The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,594, followed by Sindh 1,411. Male (74%) are more affected than the females (26%). The most affected are the young age group of age range 20 to 39 years (36%). In Pakistan only 32% of the affected population are over 50 years of age. Over 100 districts in Pakistan have reported at least one case of COVID-19. The National Disaster Management Authority is dispatching additional Personal Protection Equipment for doctors and health workers of 202 hospitals of Sindh. The district administration of Rawalpindi has established a 120-bed quarantine facility at Shahbaz Sharif Sports Complex located on Sixth Road. Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Saturday said the government would bring back 4,000 Pakistanis stranded across the world following Covid-19outbreak through special flights. Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal said Pakistan has the testing facility available for 75-days to diagnose Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic disease. [174]
14 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 5,719 as of 14 April. Increase of 342 new cases in the last 24 hours. The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,826, followed by Sindh 1,452. World Health Organization (WHO) has provided National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with 15 PCR machines and test kits which are eligible to carry 15,000 tests. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday noted the rapid pace at which COVID-19 has been spreading in Pakistan and acknowledged the Rs1.2 trillion relief package announced by the government. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday inaugurated a national broadcast education channel to mitigate the loss faced by the students due to the closure of educational institutions till May 31 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country have generated Rs4 billion for relief work during the COVID-19 health emergency, giving out rations, protective gear and medical items as well as carrying out food drives for the needy, daily-wage workers, the transgender community and religious minorities. Pakistan has decided to keep its western and eastern borders completely closed for two more weeks to tackle the spread of coronavirus in the country. With 5,500 cases of COVID-19 and around 100 deaths reported across the country, the medical fraternity fears that the health sector may collapse as a large number of healthcare providers have been infected. [175]
15 April
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 5,988 as of 15 April. Increase of 269 new cases in the last 24 hours. The most affected province due to COVID-19 virus is Punjab 2,945, followed by Sindh 1,518. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued new COVID-19 prevention guidelines, according to which every plane will be disinfected before boarding starts. The flights will ensure the provision of PPE and temperature check of every passenger with an interval of 90 minutes. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that the world is facing “a dangerous epidemic of misinformation” about COVID-19 and announced a U.N. campaign to flood the internet with facts and science to counter what he called “a poison” that is putting lives at risk. The government has extended the prevailing lockdown for another two weeks with some essential industries being allowed to reopen. With the novel coronavirus pandemic continuing to exact a heavy toll on Pakistan's aviation sector, the country's national flag on Tuesday announced it would continue special flights to ferry citizens stranded in various parts of the world. With the number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases soaring past 800 in the province and a lockdown into its fourth week, the provincial government of KP on Tuesday issued a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the impact the pandemic is having on the economy. [176]
16 April
18 April
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crossed the mark of 1,000 confirmed cases on 18 April. [179]
21 April
- A report released on 21 April stated that over 2,000; 27% of the total positive cases in the country were linked to the religious congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat. [180]
22 April
- Pakistan crossed a critical mark of the outbreak in the country as the total number of cases surged above 10,000 on 22 April. [181]
- In late April, a group of senior doctors in Pakistan, and abroad, wrote to religious leaders and to the prime minister "pleading" not to open mosques during ramadan, particularly as 80% of the people attending would be mostly in their 60s and 70s. This could result in an "explosion of Covid-19". [182]
24 April
- On 24 April, the federal government once again extended the lockdown in the country, this time until 9 May. [183]
25 April
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) traders’ association Sarhad Chamber of Commerce (SCC), were not same page with the government, on one hand was concerned despite business losses on account of lock down other arm of the government cutting electricity supplies on the other hand trading associations not willing to co-operate government's lockdown timing restrictions during Ramzan to recoup their losses. [184]
- Social distancing being important step to be followed by all to combat COVID-19 pandemic, some of the religious activities came under critical lens in Pakistan. Returning devotees from Iran, a Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering and prayer congregations became a cause of concern due to their potential to exacerbate the outbreak in the country. [185]
27 April
- The governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail revealed on 27 April that he had tested positive for COVID-19 via twitter. [186]
Confirmed cases
Suspected cases
29 April
- Some government programs were mainted through the crisis in order to keep people employed. For example, the Plant for Pakistan reforestation program was maintained through the pandemic employing 60,000 people. [187]
