ISLAMABAD, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Troops from the Pakistani army have been deployed in 16 cities of the country to ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines by the public, the director general of the military's media wing said on Monday.

In the coming days, the soldiers will go to every corner of the country to make sure that COVID-19 guidelines are being followed, Major General Babar Iftikhar, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, told media.

Earlier on Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the government had decided to seek help from the army to battle the third wave of COVID-19, making sure that the public comply with the standard operating procedures set by the government.

Showing concern over the spike of the disease in the country, Iftikhar said that COVID-19 positive rate has reached a dangerous level as the rates in 51 cities have been recorded more than 5 percent.

The healthcare system of the country is under pressure and increasingly becoming choked due to the rising cases of the disease and to handle the situation, 75 percent of the oxygen produced by the country is being used for hospitals, he said.