Coronavirus screening: Health teams deployed at Torkham border

LANDIKOTAL: After several suspected coronavirus cases were reported in Afghanistan, the Pakistani border authorities deployed health teams at Torkham border to screen out all passengers and vehicles entering Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.

Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Imran told this scribe that they deputed a 21-member team of health workers at Torkham border point. He said there were separate teams for women and men and truck crew members coming from Afghanistan.

Imran said they check around 7,000 persons every day. He added that no coronavirus case had been diagnosed at Torkham so far.

“We have established an isolation ward at the Torkham border where an ambulance and health staff are on stand-by to provide medical assistance to any patient,” said the official.

He said the Torkham border was operational as usual and pedestrians and transports were crossing it from and to Afghanistan on a daily basis.