–Officials say residents have been advised to restrict all movement, except in cases of emergency
–CM Buzdar says affected areas to remain sealed till clearance, Chohan predicts further extension in lockdown
LAHORE: As many as 13 localities in the provincial capital were partially or completely sealed on Saturday due to a sudden rise in cases of coronavirus.
Officials said that residents of Raiwind City, Sikandria Colony, Samanabad, Rustam Park, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Bedian Road, China Scheme, Gujarpura, Begum Kot Shahdara, Chah Meeran Shadbagh, Small Industries Society Defence, Rehmanpura, Wahdat Colony, Railways Colony’s Engine Shed and Saddar have been advised to restrict all movement, except in case of an emergency, until further orders.
Earlier, Bahria Town was sealed off after a few of its security guards were allegedly taken to the quarantine centre established in Expo Centre.
It is pertinent to mention here that while Lahore remains among the worst affected areas in the province, the areas sealed are old and densely populated, a situation that could potentially lead to these sealed localities becoming virus hotbeds of mass infections if urgent action is not taken.
Chairing a high-level meeting on the issue, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said that the areas sealed in the province due to a high number of coronavirus infections would remain sealed until their clearance, adding that the measures taken to cope with COVID-19 will continue until it is completely curbed.
In a meeting with Corps Commander Lt. General Majid Ehsan and other senior officials here on Saturday, the Punjab chief minister decided to further accelerate the pace of efforts being made to deal with the outbreak in light of the latest developments.
“We will ensure the provision of best treatment facilities to the corona affected patients,” he said.
Lt. General Majid assured the government of his complete cooperation for taking the preventive measures in order to eradicate coronavirus while the two officials expressed their consensus over strict implementation on the prevailing lockdown in Punjab.
On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said that the Punjab government is considering an extension in the lockdown and is likely to take stricter measures against the movement of citizens.
“The government would extend the lockdown by a week,” he said.
It may also be noted here that hours before authorities swooped in to shut down particular areas in Lahore, 11 union councils in Karachi, another most populated urban centre of the country, were also completely locked down to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Earlier on Friday, the chief minister had said that the provincial capacity to test suspected COVID-19 patients would be increased to 10,000 tests per day in the next few days so that areas posing a threat to public health could be identified and dealt with immediately.
Further, he said, the Punjab cabinet has approved the Punjab Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Ordinance, 2020, giving a go-ahead for immediate hiring of 10,000 doctors, paramedics and health professionals, including retired doctors.
“I am visiting different districts to personally monitor the medical facilities to make sure all arrangements are upto the mark,” he added.
Separately, the chief minister, while meeting with former Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCI) president and current Multan Dry Port Trust (MDPT) Chairman Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi, termed the situation in South Punjab under control.
He lauded Roomi for setting an example by making timely payments to his employees in the current circumstances and also appreciated Mahmood Group of Industries for its valued contributions by joining hands with the government.
The MDPT chairman informed the Punjab chief minister that his group had donated funds to the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan Corona Relief Fund and gave his word for standing by the government to face issues that surface due to the pandemic.
He also assured that the deserving and needy were being supported in a respectable manner and invited Chief Minister Buzdar to visit Multan after the situation improved.
Acknowledging that it was the government’s responsibility to extend health facilities to patients suffering from the viral disease, the Punjab chief minister promised that the people of South Punjab would be given “good news” by the government in the near future.
There were a total of 2,410 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus reported in Punjab at the time of the filing of this report while the total number of countrywide coronavirus cases stood at 5,015 with 86 confirmed deaths.
