Prime Minister Imran Khan says his government has decided against imposing a sweeping lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and will instead opt for a "selective lockdown".

"After analysing with my Punjab team today, [we've decided that] we will not do lockdown but will do selective lockdown and seal hotspots," he told a press conference, saying the country's administration and police cannot afford a huge burden of a complete lockdown.

He reiterated that in South Asian countries, the burden of a lockdown would fall on the poor people who rely on daily wages.

"For countries like us, the only option is a smart lockdown so that the burden doesn't fall on poor people."