Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, officials said. The chief minister’s focal person for digital media, Azhar Mashwani, said: “[Buzdar] has mild symptoms (fever and flu) since last night and is in self-isolation as per the advice of doctors.”Earlier today, Mashwani said that doctors had advised the chief minister to rest and temporarily suspend all political and official engagements due to his health. He had also prayed for the chief minister’s swift recovery.

On Monday, Punjab reported 505 coronavirus and 34 deaths during the last 24 hours. The provincial total has risen to 131,933 and the total number of deaths is 3,638.

On Saturday, the provincial government enforced lockdowns in 40 areas of five cities due to a rise in the number of cases. The city district and the police sealed 22 areas of Lahore, nine of Rawalpindi, four of Gujranwala, three of Gujrat and two localities of Hafizabad.

Meanwhile, Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain wished Buzdar an “early recovery and the best of health”.