KARACHI: The provincial authorities on Friday informed the Sindh High Court that in order to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus, several restrictions had been imposed in the province and deputy and assistant commissioners as

well as mukhtiarkars were empowered to take cognizance in case of non-compliance with government orders.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar directed the deputy commissioner of Sukkur to inspect the quarantine ward in the city after one of the petitioners complained about unhygienic conditions in the ward.

When a set of petitions about artificial shortage of surgical masks came up for hearing before the bench on Friday, an assistant commissioner submitted a compliance report on the behalf of the Karachi commissioner.

Court orders inspection of quarantine wards in Sukkur

The report contended that raids were conducted against hoarders and profiteering of surgical face masks by the district administration in Karachi and 593,630 masks were recovered. The same were distributed in different hospitals, field staff of health department and the general public.

The commissioner undertook in the report that a crackdown would continue on such black marketing and profiteering of masks.

The additional secretary of health department also filed a compliance report asserting that face masks, disposable gowns, hand gloves, caps and hand sanitisers have already been distributed in all districts of the province.

A counsel for one of the petitioners submitted that according to some media reports, proper distribution of masks has not been made in the civil hospitals. The bench directed the additional secretary to look into the matter as to whether the masks have been provided to the paramedical staff of these hospitals.

The additional advocate general informed the bench that under the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, 2014, in case of an outbreak of any disease, the provincial government was empowered to take measures and actions which it deemed necessary to prevent the outbreak.

Therefore, on March 14, the additional chief secretary home imposed certain restrictions and ordered closure of all educational institutions, examinations were rescheduled and closure of cinema and marriage halls for three weeks was ordered and restrictions on all religious and social congregations and gathering at shrines as well as meetings with prisoners were imposed, he added.

The additional advocate general further submitted that on March 17, the Sindh government in the pursuance of same the act, had also imposed certain restrictions on restaurants, shopping malls, markets/shops of non-essential items and intercity public transport for passengers.

All the deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and mukhtiarkars have been empowered to take cognizance in case of non-compliance of these directions, he added.

A lawyer for one of the petitioners argued that the Sindh government had established a quarantine ward in Sukkur, but the hygienic conditions of the ward was not proper. The additional secretary of health denied the same and contended that entire paramedical staff and district administration were providing their best possible services in Sukkur.

The bench directed the DC Sukkur to inspect the quarantine ward after applying all safety measures and submit a report through additional secretary of health till April 10.

One more connected petition filed by a lawyer, made the federal government, Pakistan Electronic Medical Regulatory Authority, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and the province of Sindh as respondents. The bench issued notices to the respondents and deputy attorney general to file comments till the next hearing.

Advocates Nadeem Sheikh, Jalil Marwat and Kamran Baloch filed three identical petitions and contended that the health authorities had confirmed the cases of coronavirus in the country and soon

after the prices of face masks as well as medicines were increased in the province.

They said that there was an artificial shortage of masks across the country. The petitioners further submitted that it was the responsibility of the government to control the prices of masks.

They also sought directions for the respondents to launch an awareness campaign against coronavirus.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2020