Pakistan places new restrictions amid rise in COVID cases

Pakistani authorities have placed new restrictions on gatherings and in some schools in major cities in a bid to control the rapidly rising cases of the country’s fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions, which include a ban on indoor gatherings and any indoor dining at restaurants, came into effect on Thursday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which is coordinating the government’s coronavirus response, said in a statement.