The Balochistan government on Tuesday extended the lockdown by 15 days till May 19 as the home department said number of coronavirus cases were witnessing a spike in the province.

The lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic was scheduled to end Tuesday at 12pm as Liaquat Shahwani, the spokesperson for the provincial government, said they were facing severe shortage of ventilators and requested the NDMA to provide the necessary equipment.

He said the decision to lift or extend the lockdown would be made depending on the situation.

A total of 1,321 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Balochistan with only 197 recoveries. Meanwhile, the province has also witnessed 21 deaths.

The number of reported cases in Balochistan was 212 on April 8 but it more than doubled on April 19 to 432. However, April 28 saw the number reaching the mark of 915. Since then the total has climbed to the present level of 1,321 with 103 cases being reported on May 4 (Monday).

Wait at least a week to get coronavirus test result

There is a huge delay in getting the reports of coronavirus tests in Balochistan as the results are not being shared even after the passage of a week, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

This delay in test results after collecting the samples has raised serious questions about the performance of Balochistan Health Department.

According to an infected patient, he gave his sample for test on April 27 but the result was received on May 4 when he had been advised to stay in isolation for 10 days.

This delay in results causes tension for the suspected patients and has increased the threat of the coronavirus spread.

Meanwhile, 2,351 people are currently waiting for their results in the province.

Some political circles have been very critical of the government for the low rate of testing in Balochistan which is also facing the locust attack in its eastern parts.

The locust swarms are a great threat to food security as these are destroying crops in a vast area and also spilling over to the adjoining areas of Punjab and Sindh.