en تخصصي Special مقاله اصیل Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: The impacts of lockdown on air pollution have been examined in various parts of the world. The concentration of main air pollutants has been decreased owing to a decline in anthropogenic activities like fossil fuel burning, etc. The main aim of this research was to assess the impacts of lockdown<br> on air pollution of the main urban areas of Pakistan.<br> Methods: The present study was conducted to assess the air quality index (AQI) of the main urban areas of Pakistan based on the pre- and post-lockdown effects and mortality rate due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hotspot analysis was conducted to assess the most vulnerable spots at the country<br> level.<br> Results: The AQI greatly improved in all the main cities of Pakistan which ranges from 51 to 87. The pre- and post-lockdown AQI were categorized from unhealthy for sensitive groups to hazardous and moderate, respectively. There are noticeable hotspots in the vicinity of Lahore and Karachi. The level of<br> nitrogen dioxide (NO2) dropped 45%, 49%, 20%, 35%, and 56% in Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, respectively.<br> Conclusion: Nature healed due to lockdown, which is the only good face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary lockdown greatly improved air quality which may stimulate the policymakers, researchers, and governments for the smart use of resources to minimize emissions to heal the nature.<br> The present study also suggests the application of hotspot analysis in different contexts for the evidencebased care services decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.</div> Nitrogen dioxide, COVID-19, Air pollution, Disease outbreaks 141 150 http://ehemj.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-211&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Afed Ullah Khan afedullah@uetpeshawar.edu.pk 10031947532846008318 10031947532846008318 Yes Corresponding author: National Institute of Urban Infrastructure Planning, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Pakistan Jehanzeb Khan jehan8bio@yahoo.com 10031947532846008319 10031947532846008319 No Government Post Graduate College Kohat, Higher Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Fayaz Ahmad Khan fayaz@uetpeshawar.edu.pk 10031947532846008320 10031947532846008320 No National Institute of Urban Infrastructure Planning, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Pakistan Rooman Khan roomankhan85@gmail.com 10031947532846008321 10031947532846008321 No Basic Health Unit of Hakeem Bharat Bannu, Health Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Raza Ullah Khan razaullah.bannu@yahoo.com 10031947532846008322 10031947532846008322 No Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China Liaqat Ali Shah liaqatali@uetpeshawar.edu.pk 10031947532846008323 10031947532846008323 No Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (Bannu Campus), Bannu, Pakistan Zahoor Khan zahoorkhan@uetpeshawar.edu.pk 10031947532846008324 10031947532846008324 No Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (Bannu Campus), Bannu, Pakistan Yasir Irfan Badrashi 10031947532846008325 10031947532846008325 No National Institute of Urban Infrastructure Planning, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Pakistan