Even as Pakistan recorded its single highest overnight death toll of 78 and its numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases soared passed 66,000, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority announced international flights can resume in and out of Pakistan.
As of May 30, Pakistan had recorded 1,395 deaths from COVID-19 since mid-March and daily counts of new cases showed a daily jump of nearly 2,500.
Still Pakistan has eased most of its lock-down measures and earlier this month the Supreme Court even ordered shopping malls to open.
Despite pleas from the country’s medical profession, and dire warnings of more deaths from the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Imran Khan refused to close down mosques, bowing to Pakistan’s radical religious leaders, who threatened violent protests if mosques were closed.
Pakistan has barely 3,000 intensive care beds throughout the country of 220 million people, who have paid little to no attention to government directions to social distance. Domestic flights resumed earlier this month.