Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that screening is something that can help prevent an outbreak of coronavirus, adding that prevention is better than cure.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the PM's aide said: "The prime minister is constantly monitoring the situation. The disease has also spread in other, more developed countries [...] but the situation [in Pakistan] is so far under control."

"However, [...] there is a need for us to be more vigilant," she said, adding that this was not an issue for one particular province, government or political party. "Whenever there is an emergency of this sort, it is a test for the entire nation," she said.