Measures taken to quarantine Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan

LANDIKOTAL: The district administration has taken measures to quarantine the Pakistani citizens, who were stranded in Afghanistan after the closure of the Torkham border due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, an official said on Tuesday.

Talking to The News, Deputy Commissioner of Khyber Mehmood Aslam Wazir said the district administration was well-prepared to screen and quarantine them if the government allowed the Pakistanis stranded in Afghanistan to enter the country via the Torkham border.

He added that around 1,500 Pakistanis, including truck drivers, were stranded in Afghanistan when Pakistan closed its borders with the neighbouring country when coronavirus broke out. He said quarantine centres had been established at various parts of Khyber to accommodate those coming from Afghanistan.

“Well-equipped health staff has been deployed at the quarantine centre near Torkham border,” Wazir said. He added the district administration was strictly following the government’s guidelines to check the corona pandemic. He said 1300 patients could be accommodated in the isolation wards established in Khyber.