WHO satisfied with coronavirus screening at Karachi airport

The World Health Organisation’s country representative to Pakistan, Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, on Thursday night visited the Jinnah International Airport Karachi (JIAP) and expressed satisfaction with the arrangements for the screening of patients coming from abroad.

“I have spent almost an hour at the Karachi International Airport and I’m quite satisfied with the screening arrangements at the airport. There are two setups for screening and they are quite satisfactory. I have given some suggestions to authorities, but overall I’m satisfied with the arrangements,” Dr Palitha said while talking to The News on Thursday.

WHO’s country representative arrived at the Karachi airport and visited the screening points at the international arrival, met the health staff and airport officials and lauded their efforts for preventing the entry of suspected COVID-19 patients into the country undetected.

Accompanied by officials from the WHO Sub Office in Karachi, including Dr Sara Salman, Sindh health department officials and others, Dr Palitha visited the screening checks of both the Sindh health department as well as the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, and praised the health staff and paramedics for their preparedness and efforts.

He also examined an extended isolation facility being established in tents at the Karachi airport and hoped that it would help in keeping the suspected passengers in isolation till they were transported to the hospitals for tests and treatment.

WHO officials said Dr Palitha would also be visiting some major health facilities in Karachi to ascertain their preparedness in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, while he would also be holding meetings with provincial health authorities, including Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and Secretary Health Zahid Ali Abbasi.

They said the WHO team in Pakistan was helping the local authorities and health authorities in dealing with the threat of COVID-19 and in this regard, they had provided personal protective equipment, resources and training so that precious lives could be saved in the country.

IGP’s advice to cops

Amid the coronavirus threat, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar on Thursday issued a coronavirus advisory for the police personnel across the province, adds our correspondent.

The police personnel have been advised to take precautionary measures amid in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The Sindh police chief directed them to use surgical masks while performing their duties.

According to an alert issued by IGP Mahar, the cops have been advised to keep distance of at least three feet while being on duty with their colleagues. The police personnel have been directed to take special care of cleanliness and avoid shaking hands with people while being on the duty.

One more coronavirus case was confirmed in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Skardu on Thursday, taking the national count to 21. The patient is a 31-year-old man. He returned to Pakistan from Iran on February 25. This brings the number of coronavirus cases to three in Gilgit-Baltistan. The second case was reported on Wednesday.

A couple of days back, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said all positive cases of the novel coronavirus in the province were "imported" and that none of them was "indigenous".

Speaking during a meeting of the Sindh Task Force on Coronavirus at the CM House, Shah said: "It means we will have to be more cautious in checking the passengers coming from Iran, Afghanistan, Italy, and such other countries at the airport.”