PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has extended public holidays in the province until May 31 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to a notification issued by the KP Relief Department, the extension of holidays will not apply to essential services and departments already identified by the government.

Extension in holidays means that public offices will remain closed even after Eidul Fitr until improvement in the situation.

255 news COVID-19 cases reported

The death toll from COVID-19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has mounted to 291 as seven new deaths were reported on Friday.

According to KP Health Department, as many as 255 new cases were confirmed in the province during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 5,678. As many as 40 new coronavirus cases have emerged from quarantine centre in Torkham, while 15 people coming back from abroad have also been tested positive. Out of nine new deaths, four have been reported in Peshawar, two in Mardan, and one in Swabi.

The Health Department said a total of 1,613 patients have recovered in KP including 108 during the last 24 hours. Active cases are 3,774.

Khyber district reports another death

Another coronavirus patient from Khyber tribal district died on Friday after which the death toll in the district has reached seven.

Raz Muhammad who died of coronavirus.

Raz Muhammad, originally hailing from Kamarkhel tribe of Bara and living at Ring Road, Pishtakhara, Peshawar, was tested positive for coronavirus eight days ago after which he was shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex.

He was put on ventilator in Khyber Teaching Hospital on Thursday night after his condition deteriorated, but he could not survive.

His funeral was offered at his ancestral village in Bazgara.

Countrywide death toll reaches 834

Death toll from COVID-19 in Pakistan has mounted to 834.

As many as 291 deaths have been reported in KP, 245 in Punjab, 255 in Sindh, 31 in Balochistan, four in Gilgit-Baltistan, seven in Islamabad Capital Territory and one in Azad Kashmir.

The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan have mounted to 38,741.

Of these, 14,916 have been reported in Sindh, 14,201 in Punjab, 5,678 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,457 in Balochistan, 866 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 518 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 105 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 10,155 patients have recovered from the virus in Pakistan.