LAHORE – Pakistan closed the Wagah Border in bid to prevent the spread of the virus, the interior ministry said on Thursday.
The border will be closed for two weeks. The move is in the interest of both Pakistan and India, the notification as reads.
The development comes after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases hit 331 in Pakistan. The country reported its first death from coronavirus on Wednesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The first victim was a 50-year-old from Mardan who had recently returned from Umrah.
Pakistan’s western border with Iran and Afghanistan had already been closed to curb the spread of the deadly virus which had infected people in more than 150 countries.
Meanwhile, more coronavirus cases were reported in Pakistan as the number of patients in Balochistan province rose to 45 and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 34. Another 211 patients were in worst-hit Sindh, 33 in Punjab, 15 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 2 in Islamabad and 1 in Azad Jammu Kashmir.
Today, 27 new coronavirus cases reported in Sindh and Balochistan, taking the national tally up to 331.