11 suspected coronavirus patients test negative, CM Murad Ali Shah told

The Sindh health department sent a total of 12 coronavirus samples for laboratory tests during Sunday and Monday. Of them, 11 tested negative while the result of one sample is awaited.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the task force on coronavirus at the CM House on Monday. Of the 12 samples of suspected coronavirus patients, eight samples were sent for lab test on Sunday and the result of all of them come out as negative. Four more samples were sent for lab test on Monday, of which three were declared negative while the result of the fourth one is still awaited.

The meeting was told that 2,301 pilgrims had returned from Iran, including 681 to Karachi and 1,620 to Taftan in Balochistan. The health department has obtained their complete details and they are under vigilance.

The chief secretary told the CM that he had contacted his counterpart in Balochistan to share details of the pilgrims returning from Iran to Taftan. The Balochistan government has directed their home department to coordinate with the home department of Sindh, he said, adding that both the departments would keep sharing details of the pilgrims.

The CM directed the chief secretary to request the Balochistan government to hand over a certificate of health clearance to each and every person being released from the quarantine. It was pointed out in the meeting that some of the educational institutions had defied the government orders and opened on Monday. To this, the CM directed the Karachi commissioner and additional inspector general of police to take action against such schools and report to him.

The CM said timely efforts taken by his government had started producing positive results. He thanked the health department, administration, airport authorities, Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan Rangers and Corps Headquarters, Sindh police and others for their coordinated efforts.

The commissioner told the CM that during the last five days, 87 people had approached the control room of the Commissioner House. The callers were given necessary counselling but none of them had a travel history of Iran or China. He disclosed that not only people from Karachi and other divisions of the provinces were seeking guidance from his control room but people from other provinces were also calling there to seek guidance.

The CM was told that hand wash, sanitisers and essential food commodities had been provided to the quarantined families. The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Law Adviser Murtaza Wahab, Home Secretary Usman Chachar, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi, Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi and others.