Marriage halls, shrines closed in Sindh over virus fears

Ag Agencies

KARACHI: Sindh province – which has the majority of coronavirus cases in the country—stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the infection, as Pakistan confirmed three new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the total toll of infected people across the country to 302

The first case was reported from Islamabad, while the second emerged in Sindh. According to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) officials, the patient from the federal capital is a 30-year-old woman who travelled from the US to Pakistan a few days ago. The officials added that the woman’s condition was critical and she had been placed on a ventilator. The woman was brought to Pims from a private hospital.

Sindh’s latest cases were reported in Karachi. Regarding the first patient, the provincial health department said he arrived from Saudi Arabia a few days back and was tested positive on Saturday. The second case in Karachi had no travel history, however the 20-year-old’s father had returned from the UK recently. “The parents have been taken for testing. This brings the total number of cases to 17 in #Sindh,” the health department added.

The province, which has confirmed the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country, announced new measures to stem the spread of the virus. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered the closure of wedding halls, shrines and festivals across the province to slow down the outbreak.

The chief minister issued these orders while chairing a meeting of the taskforce formed to monitor the coronavirus situation in the province on Saturday. The Sindh Disaster Management Authority has also been directed to start recruiting volunteers. The provincial chief secretary has been directed to issue notifications in this regard.

Moreover, Shah has also instructed Commissioner Sukkur to test of pilgrims from Iran that will be reaching the city. He had also directed the officials to keep him updated “minute-by-minute so decisions can be taken at once”.

The chief minister also issued directions to the chief secretary to shut down the National Institute Management (NIM) and has directed his ministers to avoid attending events. “By God’s mercy, the situation is still under control. But we need to be prepared for every eventuality he said.

That same day, Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab said nine isolation wards have been set up in various hospitals across the province.

In addition to the isolation wards, a 120-bed hospital has been completely converted to a quarantine unit, Wahab added. Separately, a 100-bed hospital was also converted into a quarantine unit, he added.

This comes a day after the Prime Minister’s aide on health, Dr Zafar Mirza, announced seven new cases in the country. All seven of them were in quarantine in Taftan and had come to Pakistan from Iran.