GUJRAT: In a bid to restrict the movement of public, the local authorities on Wednesday sealed several petrol pumps across the district as Gujrat is becoming the most dangerous zone with corona-infected patients after Lahore.

The number of infected patients have now climbed up to 21 in the district while clinical results of around 70 suspected patients are awaited.

The nine new cases also include two children, including a five years old boy and a 10 years old girl, as well as four women whereas a couple was admitted to the isolation ward of Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital. The man had returned from Italy recently and his wife had contracted virus from him.

The administration on the recommendation of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) decided to shut most of the petrol stations. Around 25 per cent filling stations are still open so that the district did not face fuel shortage.

Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad told Dawn that keeping in view the situation at present in Gujrat where people did not curtail their movement, it was decided to suspend the petrol sale business across the district.

He said that at least 70 more suspected cases, with most of them expatriate Pakistanis or their close contacts, had been detected through the tracking and tracing mechanism adopted by the local administration whereas 21 patients with corona virus infection had been confirmed till now.

It is learnt that out of nine new cases, five have emerged from Sara-i-Alamgir alone where Simbli village was locked down by the authorities on Tuesday last.

Around seven local contacts of the already-infected expats are also among the new confirmed cases as the situation in Gujrat is getting worst with every passing day where locals are not restricting their movement.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2020