KARACHI: The Sindh government on Saturday sealed 11 union committees (UCs) in Karachi’s district East in the wake of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) to prevent its spread to other localities.

Late in the evening there were media reports quoting government official as saying that the order to seal the localities had been withdrawn, but a spokesperson for the chief minister told Dawn that the localities remained sealed, while the city’s commissioner told this paper that only the affected parts of the localities would be completely locked down.

Earlier, a notification issued by the deputy commissioner concerned said that the entire areas falling within the limits of UC-6 Gilani Railway, UC-7 Dalmia, UC-8 Jamali Colony, UC-9 Gulshan II, UC-10 Pehalwan Goth, UC-12 Gulzar-i-Hijri, UC-13 Safoora Goth, UC-14 Faisal Cantonment, UC-2 Manzoor Colony, UC-9 Jacob Line and UC-10 Jamshed Quarters have been sealed forthwith as “record confirmed reports of individuals infected with Covid-19 residing in these areas”.

Law enforcement agencies have been asked to cordon off the areas to ensure public safety

This decision was taken under the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act of 2014 and the DC-East believed that this step was in the “larger public interest and to prevent widespread outbreak of Covid-19”.

The district administration asked police and Rangers to cordon off the said areas “to ensure public safety”.

Girl from UK infects 18 family members

Earlier, an order issued by the DC-Malir said that 24 positive cases of Covid-19 were reported in Gulistan Society and Chiragh Colony of Ibrahim Hyderi sub-division in Malir district. “Therefore, it is hereby ordered that complete lockdown should be ensured in the abovementioned area in accordance with the SOP issued by home department.”

Health officials said the decision was taken after 19 members of a family living in Gulistan Society tested positive for Covid-19 and got admitted into an isolation ward of a government hospital in Gadap.

Health officials said the outbreak of the virus took place after the marriage ceremony of a girl who came from England. Soon after the marriage, the bride fell ill and tested positive for Covid-19 and subsequently her 18 other relatives were also infected with the virus.

A 70-year-old resident of the same Gulistan Society had already died of the virus. He was buried in an 80-acre graveyard reserved for the burial of coronavirus victims in Soomar Goth near Gulshan-i-Hadeed.

Residents asked to stay home

Meanwhile, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani asked the residents of the said areas to stay home.

He said those residents who had gone to work or were not at home when the orders came were being allowed today to go to their respective residences.

He also asked other residents of the city to not go to these localities to avoid being infected with Covid-19.

This decision was taken for protection of the people, he said, asking the police and Rangers to ensure implementation of the decision.

The commissioner said that these UCs were sealed after the confirmation of more than 150 Covid-19 cases there and added that the tests of the residents would be conducted.

He said that the UCs would be unsealed once the situation improves.

He said that the grocery shops would stay open in the sealed localities during the notified time.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2020