ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court resumes the hearing of the suo motu case on the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, the Sindh government has informed the top court that 11 affected Union Committees (UCs) of Karachi will remain sealed off until the incubation period of the virus is over.

At the last hearing on April 13, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, while heading a five-judge larger bench, had expressed concern over the provincial government’s decision to seal off the UCs and asked it to provide a justification for the decision.

In response Advocate General for Sindh Salman Talibuddin submitted a comprehensive report to the court on Saturday, highlighting that after a 14-day period during which these UCs remain sealed off a fresh round of screening would be undertaken in these areas. After that the streets from where some cases of coronavirus were found would remain sealed off while other areas in the UCs would observe the ongoing lockdown policy of the government, the report said, adding that the affected areas would remain sealed off for another 14-day period and people found infected by Covid-19 would be isolated at their homes or shifted to designated isolation centres.

The report said after completion of the second 14-day period another round of screening would be undertaken in the affected areas. If a positive case is found, the patient will be sent to a designated isolation centre. However, the affected areas would be opened and the lockdown would be imposed, it added.

Report says scanning and sanitisation of houses being carried out

The Sindh government assured the top court that detailed SOPs had been chalked out to implement in letter and spirit before sealing off the 11 UCs to achieve goals associated with the strategy. The strategy includes geo-mapping of all houses and streets of the UCs from where coronavirus cases were reported.

Consequently, checkpoints were established to clamp down on intra- and inter-UC movement for a week, but the period can be extended in view of the effectiveness of the lockdown. However, lockdown will be lifted in case local transmission is decreased through screening, testing of all contacts and no new cases of Covid-19 are reported in 48 hours, the report says.

The report said the district administration issued special passes to people involved in essential services to operate in these 11 UCs.

According to the report, a thorough scanning and sanitisation of the houses are being carried out in all these UCs and one person per family is allowed to get daily necessities with complete caution between 10am to 2pm.

It said assembly of two or more people was not allowed in these UCs and members of local bodies in coordination with other officials were ensuring effective implementation of rules at the UC level.

The report further says that the Sindh government in collaboration with the Pakistan Army has set up an isolation centre with a capacity of 1,200 patients. Currently, six patients from Gulshan Town and three from Jamshed Town have been admitted to the Expo Centre Isolation Centre.

Moreover, the report said, ration comprising 10kg flour, 5kg rice, 2kg sugar, 2kg pulses, tea, fresh fruits/vegetables, etc. was being provided at the doorstep of 154 families with Covid-19 patients to ensure isolation.

Other than the affected families, ration bags with standard composition determined by the Sindh government had been provided to needy families of the affected UCs. For the identification of the needy families a transparent mechanism has been adopted in which public representatives are involved. Each ration bag provides for a family of 5-6 members for a period of 10 days at least and costs Rs2,000 per bag. The district administration has so far provided 13,000 bags in the entire district.

The report assured the court that there was no dearth of bags and medicines. It said 383 working ventilators were available in public sector hospitals in Sindh. Out of this 144 have been reserved for Covid-19 critical patients in 12 intensive care units (ICUs) established for the Covid -19 emergency. It said the number of patients admitted as of April 15 was 21.

According to the report, the Sindh government has established ‘Hospital-Based Isolation Centres’ in every district throughout the province with bed capacity of 2,422, having 791 doctors, 628 nurses and 997 paramedics.

In addition to this, ‘Field Isolation Centers’ with bed capacity of 2,633, having 278 doctors, 249 nurses and 284 paramedics throughout the province have been established.

Substandard products

Meanwhile, a former chairperson of the Women Commission of Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, Maria Iqbal, moved an application before the Supreme Court seeking to become a party in the suo motu case.

The application has highlighted that surgical masks and gowns being used in Pakistan are of substandard quality and therefore unable to protect humans from coronavirus.

Similarly, the application alleges, sanitisers being used in Pakistan are of substandard quality and medical products don’t meet standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The application has claimed that all such equipment were imported without proper certification and technical analysis.

It highlights that China has banned all such substandard items. Medical items being purchased by hospitals in Pakistan cannot be verified by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and the WHO.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2020