TOBA TEK SINGH: A member of the Tableeghi Jamaat was shifted to the Kamalia Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital by a health department team after he tested positive for Covid-19.

The result of the test by a private laboratory of Faisalabad showed Qari Muhammad Imran Bhatti (38) of Zeeshan Colony of Kamalia as having coronavirus and a health department team, headed by Deputy District Officer (Health) Dr Kashif Nadeem, visited his house on Sunday and shifted him to the isolation ward of the THQ hospital. The team obtained throat and nasal swab samples of Mr Bhatti’s wife and his four children and asked all of them to remain quarantined in their house for 14 days.

Dr Nadeem said the report of Qari Imran’s swabs sent to the National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), Islamabad, on Saturday would be received within 72 hours while swab samples of his wife and four children would also be sent to same laboratory.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Teheek-i-Insaf MNA from Kamalia Riaz Fatyana said Qari Imran belonged to Tableeghi Jamaat while he (MNA) himself was supervising the activities of the health department to save Kamalia city from spread of the virus.

Deputy Commissioner Amina Munir urged the people to avoid unnecessary travelling to Kamalia and advised the Kamalia citizens to stay in their homes.

If the NIHS report also shows Qari Imran Bhatti as having Covid-19, he would be the first case not only Kamalia but also in the Toba Tek Singh district as all six earlier coronavirus suspects tested negative.

ARRESTED: Gojra City police took into custody a youth of the New Grain Market area for allegedly spreading the fake news about presence of Covid-19 patient in Hafeez Park locality of Gojra on social media.

Gojra Deputy District Officer (Health) Dr Naeem Sarwar had informed police that the youth, identified as Saqib Sheikh, was posting fake news on his facebook account about presence of a coronavirus patient and that on his fake news, a health department team surveyed the area but found no such case.

Sources said Saqib was set free by police when the notables of his locality gave surety to the police he would refrain from spreading fake news in the future.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2020