Coronavirus: Zaireen to be allowed to return from Iran gradually: Dr Zafar Mirza

KARACHI/QUETTA: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said on Friday that the government now has a plan to deal with the situation of Zaireen (pilgrims) coming to Pakistan from Iran, which has been hit with the coronavirus epidemic. Dr Mirza said he had reviewed the situation at the Taftan-Zahedan border. During his visit, the health adviser said that the over next few days the authorities would gradually allow Pakistani ‘Zaireen’ returning from Iran to enter the country, after full screening. He said the point of entry was being strengthened.

Pakistan on Sunday had sealed its border with Iran and declared emergency in border districts. Dr Mirza said the two patients were stable and their condition was improving. “Contacts traced until now and tested are all negative,” he added.

Meanwhile, over 300 pilgrims, among them women, have reached Taftan after being permitted to enter from the Pakistan-Iran border, the spokesperson for the Balochistan government said on Friday.

Liaquat Shahwani said that all those who are arriving in Pakistan from Iran would be quarantined for 10 days, saying that they will be allowed to leave only after the fulfilment of the term.

The Pakistani pilgrims were forced to leave the Iranian territory due to which they were stranded in the area between the Pakistan-Iran border, confirmed the spokesperson. Shahwani said all pilgrims coming from Iran to Pakistan would be screened for the coronavirus.

Separately, the Sindh health department cleared the family of Pakistan’s first confirmed coronavirus patient after screening. The 22-year-old had arrived in Karachi on Feb 20, indicating that there were chances that the thermal screening machines at the airports for those entering the country may not have worked after all.

The machines are supposed to immediately detect higher-than-usual body temperature. The Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said on Friday that there had been no new case of coronavirus, adding that the nation was ready to deal with the epidemic.

Addressing a press conference in the Sindh Assembly, Wahab said he wished to provide an update on the progress regarding coronavirus. “There has been no increase in the number of coronavirus patients. The [Karachi] patient’s family is safe and has been sent home,” he added.

Wahab explained that January to-date, some 1,419 people went to Iran from Sindh; 952 of those have returned and 650 traced. “Most of the people have been tested and their results were negative,” the spokesperson noted.

He added that healthy people did not need to wear face masks and appealed to everyone not to spread fear and panic. Only those who were affected by coronavirus should wear masks.

“Profiteers attempted to bump up the prices of face masks,” Wahab told the press conference, adding that action against mask hoarders was under way. On closure of educational institutes, he said all schools would reopen on Monday and that the decision to shut them down had been taken as a preventive measure.

“Positive progress is expected in 36 hours,” he added. “The federal government and all the provinces are together. We are ready to deal with this epidemic. “This is the time to work together. We are all together to deal with this issue,” he added.

Wahab reiterated that the dissemination of any patient’s information was unwise and unethical. “Personal documents of any patient should not be shared with the media,” he said. Indus Health Network Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdul Bari Khan underlined that surgical masks should only be worn by those who were visiting coronavirus patients.

If someone from a family seems to be affected, an attendant should accompany them, he added. “This is a global emergency and fear should not be spread over this matter. “Panic over face masks was created and N-95 masks were deemed necessary [for everyone to wear. However,] N-95 masks are only necessary for the doctors who treat coronavirus patients.

“It is also necessary to test anyone arriving from China, Iran, Korea, and various other countries,” Dr Bari added. Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus cases in the world rose to 83,853, including 2,873 deaths, across 56 countries and territories on Friday, according to a report gathered by AFP from official sources. Since Thursday, 1,293 new contaminations were identified.

China — excluding the territories of Hong Kong and Macau — where the epidemic emerged at the end of December, had 78,824 cases, of which 2,788 were fatal. There were 327 new infections and 41 deaths on Friday. A further 5,029 cases had been recorded around the world, including 85 deaths and 966 new cases.

The most affected countries after China are: South Korea (2,337 cases, 13 deaths, 571 new cases), Italy (650 cases, 17 deaths, 122 new cases), Iran (388 cases, 34 deaths, 143 new cases) and Japan (210 cases, 8 deaths, 23 new cases). Japan has also recorded more than 700 cases on the cruise ship Diamond Princess moored off Yokohama.