Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reported 20 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 132.

A government official said yesterday's decision to suspend relaxations in lockdown is now a “need of the hour".

“Ironically, people failed to follow precautionary measures during relaxations in lockdown, which is why positive cases are popping up in big numbers,” Dr Mustafa Bashir Abbasi, minister for information technology and spokesperson for the government, was quoted as saying.

Abbasi said that of the 20 new cases, 19 were contacts of a dispenser at a private clinic in Muzaffarabad, who had tested positive a few days ago.

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