Coronavirus: Pakistan suspends all domestic flights from March 26

Islamabad [Pakistan], Mar 25 : Pakistan has decided to suspend all domestic flights from March 26 onwards, amid efforts to stem down the coronavirus pandemic in the country, informed Country's Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday.

The notification issued stated that all domestic, scheduled and non-scheduled, private or passenger flights would be suspended from Thursday, Saama TV reported. Islamabad has already suspended all international flights from March 22 to April 4.

COVID-19 which has rattled scores of countries around the world has so far affected 959 and claimed 9 deaths in the country so far.

The total number of cases was recorded highest in Sindh (410), 267 in Punjab and 110 have been tested positive in Balochistan.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he will not impose a country-wide lockdown and urged people to self-quarantine themselves to fight coronavirus.

Opposing lockdown for the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan had stated that the impact of a countrywide curfew in Pakistan on the economy would be immense. Imran Khan does not favour country-wide lockdown, says will impact poor

"Twenty-five per cent of the population of our country lives under the poverty line. Putting the country under lockdown would mean that my daily-wage workers, street vendors, small shop-owners would be locked inside their homes. How would they earn then?" he said.

( With inputs from ANI )