PESHAWAR: Adviser to the chief minister on information Ajmal Wazir on Tuesday said bodies of 14 more overseas Pakistanis had reached the country taking the overall tally of such deceased to 78.

He told reporters during a visit to the Bacha Khan International Airport here that 24,785 Pakistanis had so far landed in Peshawar from abroad through 162 flights, while 2,754 passengers flew to different countries from there.

Airport manager Ubaidur Rehman Abbasi briefed Mr Ajmal about the arrangements for the arrival and departure of passengers amid Covid-19 emergency.

The chief minister’s aide said well-trained medical professionals had been deployed at the airport, including 13 doctors, who regularly monitored passengers and provided care to them.

He said 48,190 people, including both airport staff members and passengers, had been screened for coronavirus since April.

Mr Ajmal said a ban had been slapped on the entry of relatives of the passengers to the airport a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

He lauded the performance of the airport management and staff during Covid-19 emergency.

The adviser said 200 hospitals with 5,440 beds had been reserved across the province for coronavirus patients.

He added that the newly-built women and children’s hospital in Charsadda with 50 beds and Nishatarabad hospital with 58 beds for coronavirus patients would be inaugurated by the chief minister soon.

Mr Ajmal said 50 per cent of the beds reserved for coronavirus patients in the province’s hospitals were unoccupied, while 63 patients were on ventilator.

He said the incidence of daily coronavirus cases had reduced to 15 per cent, while the virus death rate had dropped from 5.2 per cent to 3.6 per cent. The adviser said 154,278 coronavirus tests had so far been conducted.

He said the smart lockdown strategy had been implemented in 244 areas with a total population of 883,390.

Mr Ajmal said smart lockdowns restricted the residents’ movement and thus, stemming the spread of the virus. He said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan monitored the steps being taken against coronavirus.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2020