Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that an incremental lockdown would have been most effective in controlling the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking at a new conference in Sialkot, the PM's aide said: "We need to provide food and rations to those affected by the lockdown."

She conceded that the pandemic is an unprecedented challenge, adding that "no one could have assessed the challenge at hand".