–Official tally across Pakistan reaches 184 after Punjab, Sindh, KP report more cases
–Those quarantined at Taftan question lack of doctors, hygiene issues at camp
–PM’s aide says govt has coronavirus under control, asks people not to panic
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday recorded its biggest single-day spike in coronavirus infections, taking the tally to 183, amid reports of ineffective quarantine procedures many of those are reported to be among those who had been held at a quarantine camp at the country’s Taftan border crossing with Iran.
Dera Ghazi Khan authorities confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus on Monday, raising the provincial count to two cases. The patient, who was among the 814 persons quarantined at a facility in DG Khan, had arrived from the Taftan border. DG Khan Health CEO said that the patient, a resident of Layyah, had been shifted to Indus Hospital Muzaffargarh.
DG Khan Commissioner Naseem Sadiq said that another five patients, suspected of having contracted the virus, had also been shifted to Indus Hospital Muzaffargarh
With an addition of 47 new cases, the tally of coronavirus cases in Sindh reached 150. According to a spokesperson for the Sindh health department, 119 of the cases arrived in Sukkur from Taftan, 30 are from Karachi while one is from Hyderabad. Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that the “exponential increase is largely due to the recent inflow of people brought in from Taftan after a purported quarantine”.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial police chief to carry out raids on stores and pharmacies that are selling overpriced tissue papers, hand sanitisers and anti-septics.
The Sindh government is also contemplating closing restaurants and tea shops by 9 pm, as the number of coronavirus cases in the province continues to rise. “I am now adopting a zero-tolerance policy,” Chief Minister Shah was quoted as saying in a statement by his media consultant. “If our people stay out and visit eateries until late at night, I will shut down restaurants and hotels,” Shah added.
However, as per the government data, no deaths due to the coronavirus have been recorded.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also chaired a meeting of the country’s national coordination committee on COVID-19. No major announcements were made following the meeting.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) also reported its first cases of coronavirus, confirming 15 positive cases. KP Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra tweeted that 15 out of 19 individuals who arrived in the province from Taftan have tested positive for the virus. “They are being well looked after in quarantine in an isolated facility in Dera Ismail Khan,” he wrote.
SAPM SAYS CORONAVIRUS UNDER CONTROL:
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that the government has extended its emergency measures, including travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings to the entire country to tackle the coronavirus.
Addressing a press conference, Dr Mirza said that there was no immediate need to lockdown cities in the country as the situation is “still under control”.
He assured the public that the current preventive measures adopted by the health ministry are sufficient to control the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan, adding, that measures would be tightened up if the situation turns more serious.
“Under the new emergency measures, all recreational and sporting events are being cancelled/postponed while public places like restaurants, parks are ordered to shut until the situation is not stable,” he said.
Dr Mirza further advised the public to adopt safety measures as suggested by the health experts to remain safe from the disease.
He urged the media to put their share of creating mass scale public awareness against pandemic effects of coronavirus in the country. “The government is completely prepared to fight coronavirus and country has made timely and appropriate arrangements that stopped the spread of the virus,” he said.
Dr Mirza said that it is not only the responsibility of the Health Ministry but every individual is responsible for safety, adding that the government has launched a comprehensive awareness campaign and people should have to follow the guidelines.
“The coronavirus affects those people who have less immunity,” he added.
The Health Ministry has deputed its officials at the airports and border crossing points and the screening of the travelers is being carried out through thermal screening, he mentioned.
He further said that foreign flights are restricted to operate only in major cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, as aerial operations will remain suspended at other airports.
He said that any person who has symptoms of coronavirus should contact the state helpline 1166.
Replying to a question, Dr Mirza said that he had emphatically called for an end to the lockdown in occupied Kashmir at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting where the Indian Prime Minister was also present.
“In view of the health emergency it is imperative that all the restrictions in the occupied territory must be lifted immediately, opening up communication and movement would facilitate dissemination of information, allow distribution of medical supplies and enable containment and relief efforts to proceed unimpeded,” he demanded.
Replying to another question, he said different hospitals across Punjab have been equipped with coronavirus testing and prevention kits and suspected cases are being treated thoroughly.
CONDITIONS AT TAFTAN:
“The spike in cases was mainly because of the people who came from Taftan. They had been quarantined there, and then we moved them to our own facility where we tested them,” said Meeran Yousuf, spokesperson for the health minister of Sindh.
People currently in the Taftan camp said they were not being adequately screened for coronavirus or treated for existing conditions. They also complained of squalid living conditions at the facility, which is housing hundreds of people.
Under current procedures, those released from the camp are being held for a further 14 days in their home provinces in separate quarantine facilities, where they will be tested if they display symptoms of the virus, Yousuf said.
A provincial government spokesperson in Balochistan, where Taftan is, denied the claims that conditions were inadequate at the camp and said that the staff was constantly monitoring those in quarantine for symptoms.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol calls for a 14-day mandatory quarantine,” said Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani. “People can still develop symptoms after 14 days, or even 28 days. It differs from case to case,” he added.
“We are sleeping in tents, with up to five people in one tent because there is a shortage of space here,” said Amir Ali, 26, a travel agent who was brought to Taftan camp on March 3.
“There are not enough bathrooms or enough water. The system for screening is not as they claim. They are not giving us all these medicines,” he added.
Ali shared videos from the camp that showed rows of tents, basic bathroom facilities and some people forced to sleep in close quarters on the floor of the town’s main government building.
The videos also show rubbish littering the ground between the tents.
Since last month, more than 4,600 people have been held at the quarantine camp, Shahwani said. Of those, 1,822 had been released to their home districts on Friday, while several hundred remain at the camp, government data shows.
The cases recorded in Sindh province were among the 1,822 people who were cleared last week.
Ali said that medical services were inadequate at the camp.
“They used the thermometer on us the first day of arrival from Iran. Since then, they have not checked us at all,” he said.
“There is no one available here to provide treatment if people have symptoms or any other illnesses,” he added.
Others at the quarantine camp echoed Ali’s concerns.
“The conditions here are so filthy that if a person spends a few days here, even if they are healthy, they will get the coronavirus,” said Fatima Bibi said.
“We are requesting the government to please take us away from this place as quickly as possible,” she added.
She further said that the toilets were not properly maintained, and they smelled “so bad you feel like vomiting”.
Others lamented the lack of medical facilities at the camp.
“There are no doctors here,” said Khanum Jan, who had been in the camp for nine days. “There are no beds or blankets,” she added.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahwani said that the government was doing the best it could with limited resources.
“It is a desert area. It is far away,” he said, adding that the government is doing its level best.
Last week, after a high-level national security committee meeting, the government announced the closure of all educational institutions across the country until April 3, the closure of all border crossings with Iran and Afghanistan and a ban on all public gatherings of any kind.
Since February, Pakistan has screened more than 975,634 people at points of entry, according to government data.
The country’s National Institute of Health says that its current risk assessment of the impact of the disease is “moderate”.
Ali said that he feared cases could rise, as those released from the quarantine camp “are not being screened”. “The increase in cases that is happening, this is only happening because of their incompetence,” he alleged.
“When there were thousands of people here in Taftan last week, people were sleeping within four inches of each other,” he added.
