KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday asked people of the province to observe the next three days as “volunteer isolation” so that everyone could keep themselves safe and secure in view of the coronavirus threat.

“During the next three days, the offices are completely closed, hotels are not offering dining, sports clubs and gymnasiums are closed, therefore, there is no need to come onto roads and streets and move here and there,” he advised.

While presiding over the 23rd meeting of the task force on coronavirus here at the CM House, Mr Shah said that the people of Pakistan were fighting against COVID-19 bravely.

“Time has come to demonstrate a responsible attitude by observing volunteer social distancing and it is possible when we all will prefer to remain at our homes,” he said.

‘This is not a time for social gatherings’

The chief minister said that he was surprised that during these holidays some people were hosting receptions and family gatherings at their homes. “This is not a time of social gatherings but it is for social distancing,” he said.

Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi told the chief minister that 2,017 samples were taken from Sukkur (Sukkur-I and II batches) and 83 from Larkana. “Of them, as many as 1,217 have been declared as negative and 238 have been diagnosed as positive, while the results of 402 of Sukkur-II and 83 of Larkana are still awaited,” he added.

The health secretary further informed the chief minister that in Karachi/other districts, 1,230 samples were tested, and total 249 were diagnosed as positive.

It may be noted that in the second batch 402 pilgrims that had returned from Taftan have been kept in Sukkur while 83 have also returned from Iran and kept in isolation in Larkana.

51 ‘locally transmitted’ cases

The chief minister said that local transmission cases had swelled to 51, which was worrisome for him and everyone who understood the situation.

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani told the chief minister that 22 pilgrims were going to Iran but due to COVID-19 spread could not go there. He said that all the 22 pilgrims returned via Lasbela and the deputy commissioner West received them.

The CM directed the commissioner to get all the 22 people screened and let them go to their respective houses if they all were found uninfected.

The commissioner also briefed the chief minister about the establishment of quarantine and a field hospital at the Expo Centre. The chief minister directed him to make necessary arrangements for toilets and the resting place for the staff at the Expo Centre.

He allowed necessary procurement of equipment, medicines, masks, and other such items hall-wise.

The chief minister was informed that public sector hospitals in their daily report identified 1,874 suspected cases, of them 21 were found to be tested. The private hospitals gave a list of 702 suspected cases and five had been tested.

Airport authorities told the meeting that 31 flights were scheduled on Friday but 15 of them were cancelled. The 16 flights brought 3,710 passengers, of them four were deemed as suspect and they were quarantined. Their samples were sent for test.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Dr Azra Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Syed Nasir Shah, Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Mahar, Sajid Jamal Abro, Usman Chachar, representatives of V Corps, WHO, Civil Aviation, Authority, Prof Saeed Qureshi, Prof Dr Abdul Bari, Prof Dr Faisal, M.B. Dharejo and others.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2020