RAWALPINDI: As many as five new confirmed coronavirus patients were on Thursday shifted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) - two from Gujar Khan and three from Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), taking the tally in the district to 59.

According to official figures, there are 23 suspected patients at the BBH.

At present, 59 confirmed Covid-19 patients are admitted to the RIU, eight of them from other cities.

The total number of Covid-19 patients in Rawalpindi, Attock and Jhelum districts is 86, including one in Attock and 26 in Jhelum.

The local administrations also keep 652 people in quarantines in Rawalpindi (183), Attock (205) and Jhelum (264).

Apart from these, 502 people have been isolated in their houses - 137 in Rawalpindi, 200 in Attock and 165 in Jhelum.

In Rawalpindi, four people have been isolated in their houses in Sadiqabad and the street of their houses has been sealed.

As many as 406 preachers of Tableeghi Jamaat have also been quarantined in different places in the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal.

Commissioner Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the provincial government was working to combat the virus by utilizing all available resources.

He said all the administrations of the four districts had been directed to ensure implementation of the lockdown and not allow people to gather in bazaars.

“It is the duty of citizens to maintain social distance while shopping in grocery stores and chemist shops,” he said.

He said all the civic bodies were cleaning roads, footpaths and public places with chemicals to avoid spread of the virus.

Four high dependency units have been established in the districts and protection kits have been supplied to doctors and paramedical staff, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2020