ISLAMABAD, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani government has taken precautionary measures, including speeding up COVID-19 testing, and implemented government-set standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the spread of the virus as the total infections crossed the 100,000-mark in the country.

The disease has been wreaking havoc and the number of cases and deaths has been skyrocketing in Pakistan over the last couple of days after the government announced to ease the lockdown in a phased manner in May.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a televised address on Monday that there might be difficult times ahead for the country as the positive cases would continue to rise and a peak would be witnessed by the end of July or beginning of August.

He added the country cannot afford another lockdown, urging people to follow the SOPs to curb the spread of the virus.

The World Health Organization said last Friday that "the disease has not exploded (in Pakistan), but there is always the risk of that happening."

As of Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 103,671 with 2,067 deaths.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A health official takes a sample from a person sitting in a car at a drive-through screening and testing facility for COVID-19 in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A health official takes a sample from a person sitting in a car at a drive-through screening and testing facility for COVID-19 in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A health official (L) talks to a person before taking sample for COVID-19 test in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on June 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)■[/caption]