The coronavirus pandemic claimed 33 more lives during the past 24 hours (Monday), raising the death toll in Pakistan to 7,193, showed the latest figures released by National Command and Operation Centre on Tuesday morning.

Punjab reported most of these deaths where 17 coronavirus patients died followed by five in Azad Kashmir, four each in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three in Islamabad.

On the other hand, the number of coronavirus cases reported in the country jumped to 361,082 after another 2,050 people tested positive on Sunday. 

It means over 2,000 new cases have been recorded in the country for the last five days consecutively.

Sindh continued to be the most affected region of the country with 156,528 cases and 2,751 deaths. The details for other provinces and regions are given below:

Punjab 11,047 cases and 2,492 deaths, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 42,615 cases and 1,315 deaths, Islamabad 24,444 cases and 260 deaths, Balochistan 16,449 cases and 156 deaths, Azad Kashmir 5,538 cases and 126 deaths, and Gilgit-Baltistan 4,461 cases and 93 deaths. 

Right now, Pakistan has 29,055 active coronavirus cases which represents a consistent rise along with a similar trend being witnessed in terms of hospitalisation as 1,688 patients are being treated in different health facilities across the country. 

Meanwhile, 1,447 infected persons are in a critical condition with 218 of them placed on ventilators.

On the other hand, 29,378 tests were conducted in the country on Monday after which the overall number increased to 4,979,939.

As far the recovery rate is concerned, a total of 324,834 people have so far fully recovered from the infection. Hence, 332,027 cases stand closed [deaths + number of people recovering] in the country. 

NCC steps

The National Coordination Committee (NCC) agreed on the following measures focusing on the highest risk activities for spread of COVID-19, while trying to minimize the impact on economic activity:

1. Large gatherings. A ban on all outdoor gatherings of more than 300 persons is to be implemented. The PM announced a moratorium on political gatherings of his own party starting with cancellation of an upcoming event in Rashakai, KP.

2. Weddings. No indoor events to be allowed; only outdoor events with a maximum of 300 guests will be allowed. 

3. Restaurants. Indoor dining will be allowed for the present but will be reviewed after a week. In the meantime, the public is strongly encouraged to use either outdoor dining or takeaway options. This is in view of the high risk of transmission of the virus in closed indoor settings, especially when masks are taken off during eating.

4. Educational Institutions. The option of early/extended winter vacations will be reviewed in a week's time in consultation with provinces/federating units and federal ministry of education.

5. Reiteration of the need to use masks in all closed and crowded spaces and its enforcement by local authorities as previously decided.

Latest US restrictions as cases soar

US states and cities were imposing a raft of new restrictions to try to curb soaring Covid-19 infection rates. 

Here, AFP takes a look at some of the latest measures:

- Chicago -

A new stay-at-home advisory came into effect in Chicago, America's third-biggest city, on Monday.

Residents have been asked to remain confined to their homes for the next three weeks except for essential activities such as attending work, school or buying groceries.

- Michigan -

The Midwestern state, whose largest city is Detroit, is halting all indoor dining and in-person learning for university and high-school students for three weeks.

Other indoor activities such as movie theaters, casinos, bowling centers and group fitness classes will also be suspended when the order takes effect Wednesday.

- Washington state -

Democratic Governor Jay Inslee announced new restrictions including suspending indoor dining, closing gyms and museums and limiting stores and places of worship to 25 percent occupancy.

The measures, which ban residents from having guests at their homes unless the guest quarantined beforehand, begin to take effect from Monday night and run until December 14.

- New Jersey -

Indoor gatherings are limited to a maximum 10 people from Tuesday, while outdoor gatherings will be capped at 150 from next week, Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday.

Some indoor events such as religious services, weddings and funerals may continue at 25 percent capacity or up to 150 people, he added.

- New Mexico -

A two-week lockdown took effect in the Southwestern state on Monday, with residents ordered to stay at home except for essential trips.

All non-essential businesses must close and restaurants are only allowed to operate pickup and delivery services, ruled Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

- Oregon -

Democratic Governor Kate Brown has limited all bars and restaurants to take-out and delivery only from Wednesday until December 2.

She also closed all recreational facilities, including museums, gyms, zoos and gardens, and limited social gatherings to six people under the order announced Friday.

- New York -

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all establishments licensed to sell alcohol statewide to close at 10:00 pm from Friday last week.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is on the verge of closing public schools, which teach 1.1 million students, as the city's seven-day average of new cases nears three percent.

- California -

San Francisco stopped indoor dining and reduced capacity at fitness centers and movie theaters from Saturday following a 250 percent spike in cases since early October.

Democratic governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that 41 of California's 58 counties are now subject to the state's tightest level of restrictions, which includes closed and outdoor dining only at restaurants.

Schools can only operate at 25 percent capacity, and only students considered a priority may attend class in person.

- North Dakota -

On Friday, the state's Republican governor ordered all residents to wear face masks in public after months of resisting the measure.

Doug Burgum also signed an executive order limiting restaurants and bars to 50 percent capacity from Monday.

Austria under strain in virus second wave

While Austria was held up as a model to follow during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, its return to lockdown Tuesday has sparked a backlash against the government.

Experts, news outlets and opposition politicians have been lining up to condemn the conservative-green coalition government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for its handling of the second wave. "Lack of anticipation" and "irresponsible behaviour" are just some of the criticisms levelled at the administration since the new lockdown was announced on Saturday.

The closure of all non-essential stores and schools is "without question the expression of a total loss of control" said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (SPOe).

"It is because of the government in particular that more severe measures are now necessary and that Austria has gone from being a model country to being the bottom of the table in terms of infections."

Rendi-Wagner is herself a former health minister and trained as a doctor.

Saturday's measures came two weeks after the closure of restaurants, bars, cultural and sports venues in a failed bid to curb the spread of the virus.

The country is now under curfew until December 6, with limited exceptions such as essential travel for work, buying groceries, helping or caring for others, or for exercise.

- Pulling the 'emergency break' -

In spring, Austria was among the first countries in Europe to impose a lockdown and escaped the worst of the first wave.

But the number of daily infections in the Alpine nation of 8.8 million inhabitants has grown from 1,000 in early October to 4,657 on Monday.

Hospitals have said they are reaching capacity, despite Austria having a comparatively high number of intensive care beds.

In western Tyrol province, 83 percent of intensive care beds reserved for coronavirus patients are already occupied, according to the national health agency.

And the criticism has come from both sides of the political spectrum.

The conservative Die Presse daily lamented the "lack of government planning", while liberal Der Standard highlighted what it called a "series of bad decisions" by Health Minister Rudolf Anschober.

This is what had forced the government to pull the "emergency brake", it said Monday.

"We spent the summer hitting the gas," Christoph Steininger, a virologist from the University of Medicine in Vienna, told the Der Standard, referring to the re-opening of the economy over the summer.

Measures taken throughout summer and autumn proved ineffective as bars, cafes and restaurants filled up again, alongside shopping malls and cultural venues.

Some of the government's energy also had to be diverted into the response to the jihadist attack that left four people dead on November 2.

"People are tired, conspiracy theories are circulating, errors are obviously made and the opposition is heading to the barricades," political scientist Julia Partheymueller, from the University of Vienna, told AFP.

"National unity is being undermined by the second wave."