ISLAMABAD: Other than the Sports Complex, the capital has run out of facilities that can be used as quarantine centres.

Capital administration officials told Dawn that after all the provincial government refused, international flights bringing stranded Pakistanis back to the country have been landing at Islamabad International Airport. In order to accommodate passengers, the administration has been increasing the number of quarantine centres to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the city.

The number of centres has now reached 14, which is as high as it can go in view of the buildings available that are suitable for a quarantine centres.

Officials said that when officials tried to find more suitable buildings, they discovered that they had already taken over all of them.

They said all the buildings, including hotels, that could meet the requirements have been turned into quarantine centres. There are no more buildings or facilities left in the capital that meet the requirements.

The officials said the situation is alarming, and heading towards chaos with 150 to 200 people arriving in the capital every day.

They said that the only facility left in the capital now is the Sports Complex, but it is not suitable for use as a quarantine centre. They said they did not want to use student hostels, as these do not meet requirements either.

In light of the situation, the administration has asked Pakistan Railways for coaches and bogies to use as quarantine centres even though there is not much room in the capital to park them. Given the situation, officials said, scores of such coaches and bogies are needed.

The officials said that since the number of incoming passengers is much higher than the facilities available, there would be no choice but to house them in the Sports Complex. The situation will become disastrous within a week if the capital continues to receive the same number of people, they said.

An administration official told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the Foreign Office has been alerted to the situation with a request that provinces be persuaded to open their airports so that all the passengers can be distributed among them and no one faces any kind of shortage when it comes to precautionary measures against the spread of the coronavirus.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said a few more cases of Covid-19 were reported in Islamabad on Wednesday, but did not confirm figures.

The patients are residents of various parts of the capital, and their home were sealed and declared quarantines for them and their families, he said. He said the families of the patients are being screened and tested, and their reports are awaited.

In addition, four passengers among the 150 people who flew back from Baghdad have also tested positive, while all 150 passengers returning from Tashkent tested negative, he said.

The remaining passengers from Baghdad have been allowed to go home with directions to self-isolate.

Two more flights, one from the United Kingdom and one from Toronto, are scheduled to arrive in the capital with 200 people on board each flight.

Mr Shafqaat said arrangements to screen and test them at the airport and quarantine them have been made.Postal, courier services allowed to resume

Separately, a notification was issued by the deputy commissioner on Wednesday permitting door-to-door postal and courier services in the capital.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2020