Buzdar, Mahmood limit activities after CM House employees test positive for coronavirus

• Punjab CM House spokesperson says   CM Usman Buzdar will only hold important meetings at his office.
• Kamran Bangash says CM Mahmood Khan will hold meetings via video link.
• Coronavirus cases are on the rise in both Punjab and KP.

LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan have reduced their daily interactions after multiple employees of the chief minister houses of both provinces tested positive for coronavirus.

Sources within the Punjab CM house said that two employees had contracted coronavirus and lost their lives a few days ago. Among them, revealed sources, were a protocol officer and a waiter.

The officials also confirmed that close to 16 officials of the Punjab CM House have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the past few days. 

A spokesperson of Punjab CM House said Buzdar will only hold important meetings and visits at his office. He added that there was a ban imposed on normal visits due to the prevalent situation of the coronavirus.

Six employees of KP CM House test positive

Separately, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Kamran Bangash confirmed that six employees of the KP CM House have tested positive for coronavirus.

Bangash said that the CM’s meetings with elected officials have been suspended, adding that the chief minister will hold meetings via video link.

Punjab and KP have been the epicentre of the third wave of coronavirus that has hit Pakistan.

Health experts have expressed their concerns over the third wave of coronavirus which is expected to be more lethal and contagious than the previous ones.

To curb the virus spread, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced a complete ban on holding wedding functions — both indoor and outdoor — starting April 5, in areas that have a three-day rolling average of an 8% positivity ratio.

The NCOC had said that the government is also mulling the prospects of more restrictions on inter-provincial travelling.