KARACHI: Pakistan’s coronavirus toll rose to 1099 on Thursday as Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Sindh reported new cases despite provincial and partial lockdowns to contain the spread of the pandemic.
According to the national database, Balochistan, where a provincewide lockdown is in place since Monday, reported 12 new cases, taking the total provincial tally to 119.
According to the Balochistan government spokesperson Liaqat Shahwani, the provincial health department is waiting for the test results of 165 citizens, while the blood samples of 1,455 people have been taken so far.
Sindh and GB announced eight and three fresh cases respectively, bringing respective tallies to 413 and 85. Later in the day, Punjab also reported 14 new cases, pushing the provincial tally to 323.
The majority of Pakistan’s cases were imported from Iran – which is badly hit by the virus with some 2077 deaths – through the Taftan border crossing. So far, Pakistan has reported eight deaths. The latest victim was a woman from Rawalpindi who succumbed to the disease yesterday.
SINDH ANNOUNCES RELIEF PACKAGE:
Meanwhile, the Sindh government released Rs580 million in order to provide food supplies to daily wage workers and low-income class.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that Rs20 million will be allocated for every district so that food rations can be distributed among daily wage workers who are unable to work due to lockdown in the province.
Murad, in a media talk, stressed that the pandemic can be defeated by working together as the province observes the fourth day of the lockdown today.
The restrictions were further tightened as shops were allowed to remain open from 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM only. While medical stores were given exemption from the restriction, shopping plazas and supermarkets in Karachi were directed to remain closed.
400 DETAINED:
In the wake of a steady rise in the number of cases, the Sindh government had imposed a complete lockdown in the province, while Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opted for partial lockdowns. Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir are also shut down due to the spread of the disease.
However, these measures adopted recently have yet to bear fruit as the authorities concerned struggle to keep people at home. In Sindh, the government arrested over 400 people found for flouting Section 144 and selling sanitizers and masks at exorbitant rates in addition to indulgence in hoarding.
According to police, the people were arrested for violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and for hoarding. Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar has urged the general public to stay at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Karachi and other parts of the province.
HELP FROM CHINA:
Yesterday, China sent a cargo plane carrying medical equipment to Sindh, said the Chinese embassy in Pakistan through Twitter. It said a cargo plane carrying N-95 masks and other protective equipment had been dispatched to Karachi.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah arrived at Jinnah International Airport to receive the donations, which consisted of 500,000 masks, including N95 masks, and 50,000 coronavirus test kits. “These masks and kits will be distributed all over the country,” the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, Sindh Transport Minister Owais Qadir Shah urged the provincial chief executive Murad Ali Shah to take strict action against people who are violating the lockdown in order for it to be effective.
“He (Murad) should impose a curfew if he has to, this is a matter of people’s health,” he said. Owais added that there are reports that events are still being held in some areas, defeating the purpose of a lockdown.
