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Pakistan's coronavirus cases rise to 381

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Press Trust of India Islamabad
Last Updated : Mar 19 2020 | 8:42 PM IST

Pakistan's coronavirus cases sharply rose to 381 on Thursday, as the military said that measures are being taken to make the armed forces' medical facilities available for an "extreme emergency" situation.

Pakistan on Wednesday reported its first two casualties due to the coronavirus that has spread to more than 160 countries, killing over 9,000 people.

On Thursday, maximum new cases were recorded in Punjab where the number of infected people rose to 78 from 33. Balochistan was the next where the number rose from 23 to 45.

But the worst-hit Sindh province was still on the top with 217 confirmed cases, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had 23, Gilgit-Baltistan 15, Islamabad 2 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir one.

Army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told the media that army was fully geared up to support the civil administration in fighting coronavirus.

"Medical facilities of armed forces will be available in case of emergency," he said.

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Pakistan also announced on Thursday to close down Wagah border with India for two weeks.

The interior ministry through a notification said that it closed the key border point with India "for an initial period of two weeks (14 days) with immediate effect".

It said the measure was taken to "prevent the spread of COVID-19, in the best interest of both countries."

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First Published: Mar 19 2020 | 8:42 PM IST

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