LAHORE: The Covid-19 pandemic continued to hit the Lahore High Court as another judge and members of his personal staff tested positive for the virus on Wednesday.

The reports of Justice Jawad Hassan, his private secretary Zahoor Ahmad, driver Azmat, orderly Abdul Wahab and another staff member Ziaur Rehman came positive. The judge and his staff members also quarantined themselves at homes.

Last week, Justice Shahid Karim also tested positive for the coronavirus and went into isolation. An official of the high court recently passed away due to the pandemic.

The LHC spokesman expressed inability to confirm the Covid-19 cases among the judges and staff.

However, sources told Dawn that staff members of several senior judges and dozens of employees working in other branches had been quarantined, mostly at their homes, after being infected with the virus. A female assistant law officer had also been tested positive for the virus.

Following growing cases of the pandemic, the disinfection process of the high court had also been increased.

Meanwhile, the office of Punjab prosecutor general asked the secretary of primary and secondary health healthcare department to take necessary actions following 13 suspected patients of the coronavirus.

A letter written by a human resource officer of the prosecutor general office stated that at least officials were having symptoms of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing for the last few days.

It said the suspected patients needed to undergo Covid-19 tests to figure out whether they were really infected. The letter also asked the health secretary to conduct tests of the whole staff of the prosecutor general office.

The suspected patients, as per the letter, include two additional prosecutor generals, one deputy prosecutor general, one deputy district prosecutor general, a personal assistant, seven junior clerks and a dispatch rider.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020