No option but to win war against coronavirus, says CM Usman Buzdar

LAHORE:Chief Minister Usman Buzdar chaired the meeting of Provincial Apex Committee at his office here on Wednesday to review steps to deal with coronavirus threat.

The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt-Gen Majid Ehsan, General Officer Commanding 10-Division Maj-Gen Muhammad Aneeq-ur-Rehman Malik, DG Rangers Punjab Maj-Gen Muhammad Amir Majeed, Law Minister Raja Basharat, Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, Chief Secretary, IG Police, ACS (Home) and other civil and military officials.

The meeting reviewed the steps being taken to deal with coronavirus, as well as the future road map and decided to effectively implement the action plan against coronavirus. The participants expressed the commitment to utilise all possible resources for saving people from coronavirus.

The military leadership promised full cooperation to the civil government. The meeting decided that governmental steps would be implemented in letter and spirit for safety from coronavirus and any violation would not be tolerated.

It was agreed to make collective efforts for implementing the decisions made in the meeting. It was also decided to make the screening and movement system at entry points of Punjab more effective.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister emphasised that extraordinary steps were needed to deal with the unusual situation and reiterated that the government would go to any extent to save people.

There was no option except to win the war against coronavirus and both political as well as military leadership are on one page to deal with the pandemic, he added. He maintained that every segment of society should play its role for effectively dealing with the coronavirus threat, adding that the pandemic would be eliminated at every cost.

Arrangements have been made to quarantine 5,000 people in Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan, he added.

Buzdar reiterated that the Health Department would be provided with every possible resources to deal with the coronavirus threat, adding that the steps had been taken to protect people. Corps Commander Lt-Gen Majid Ehsan, addressing the meeting, said the Punjab government was taking effective steps for dealing with coronavirus.

“We are extending cooperation to the government at every level to overcome it," he said and added that it was a national cause and full support would be provided to the civil government, he added. s

The meeting was told that there were 239 confirmed patients in Pakistan while the number of patients was 26 in Punjab. The meeting also pondered over the proposal to set up quarantine facility at Taftaan by the Punjab government and another proposal was also reviewed to change Hajj Terminal in Lahore as a quarantine centre for the suspected passengers.

ACS (Home) and health secretaries briefed about coronavirus related situation and precautionary measures.