KARACHI - Sindh on Tuesday warned against rising coronavirus infections in the province and called on people to observe COVID-19 safety measures to mitigate the virus’ spread.

Pakistan has started easing coronavirus curbs after infections in the country began to decline, according to government officials. The country’s phase-wise reopening of educational institutions will also conclude on September 30.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab, in a tweet, said that 10,881 coronavirus samples had been taken in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate of the tests came out 3.6%.

“As on 29.09.2020 at 8 AM (last 24 hours), a total of 10,881 #COVID19 test samples were taken in Sindh. Out of the samples taken, 400 people have tested positive which makes the positivity ratio 3.6%,” he said.

“The numbers are rising fast & the people need to exercise care & caution PLEASE,” he added.

Sindh was the only province in the country to delay the reopening of schools for students of classes 6-8 citing fears of virus resurgence.

A few days earlier, the province’s health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho had also voiced similar concerns about the positivity rate.

Dr Pechuho said that the coronavirus positivity rate has increased from “1.5% to 3%” and that it was unwise to reopen schools in the current situation.

“A second wave of coronavirus has been predicted in the current situation,” Dr Azra Pechuho said, adding that she had reservations about reopening of the educational institutes.

However, giving a conflicting remark, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said the “coronavirus [cases] have reduced significantly in Sindh” and that the number of tests was increased, not the infections.

Sindh has recorded the highest cases — 136,395 — in the country followed by Punjab. The province has also registered nearly 2,500 deaths and more than 129,000 recoveries from the virus.