The government of Sindh has extended the closure of shrines for the general public by another month. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Minister for Auqaf, Sohail Anwar Siyal, on Thursday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

Following the meeting, the provincial Auqaf Department notified the extension in the closure of shrines till May 16. Anwar Siyal reinstated that shrines will remain closed as the number of coronavirus cases is increasing rapidly.

"We have to take serious measures to stop this spread," insisted the Minister.

He said that the decision has been taken by the Ministry of Auqaf to curtail the virus prevalence rate. The district authorities have been ordered to ensure the implementation of the decision along with other precautionary measures.

Sindh had reopened all shrines for the general public early in March after a considerable decline in coronavirus cases in the province. However, soon after the third outbreak, Auqaf Chief Administrator Sindh notified closure of shrines from March 28 to April 06.

The ban was extended till April 16, which has now been increased till May 16. Subsequently, the annual Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was also canceled, which was originally supposed to be held in Sehwan Sharif from the 18th of Shaban.

The third wave of COVID-19 is running rampant in the country, with Sindh being equally affected. A day before this decision, the province reported 470 new cases in a single day.

Out of these, 262 cases were detected in Karachi, 73 in Hyderabad, 16 in Badin, 14 in Larkana, 13 in Sukkur, 10 in Matiari, nine in Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan each, eight in Shaheed Benazirabad, Jamshoro, and Tando Allahyar each, seven in Sanghar, six in Dadu, five in Jacobabad, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur each, three in Ghotki and one in Kashmore-Kandhkot and Naushero Feroze each.