KARACHI, Mar 16 (APP):Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the number of coronavirous cases in Sindh have reached to 103, including 76 of Sukkur/Taftan and 27 of Karachi.
“I am not worried about the 76 cases of Sukkur because the pilgrims are living in a proper isolation but the dangerous thing is cropping up in Karachi where more than eight cases of contacts have emerged.”
He disclosed this on Monday while addressing a press conference and interacting with parliamentarians of different political parties in Sindh assembly here at CM House.
The chief minister urged the people of the province to avoid social gathering and meeting with people. “You have to adopt volunteer isolation- this the only solution to contain coronavous,” he said.
The chief minister reacting to a report presented by the commissioner Karachi said that people were still thronging at restaurants, hotels, Tea shops. “It is not acceptable and I request the people to adopt self-isolation, otherwise I would have no option but to close restaurants, hotels, tea shops and such other facilities,” he said.
Syed Murad Ali Shah told the police and the administration to work out a plan to control crowds, otherwise give notice to restaurants and hotels to close their facility by 9 pm. “I’ll take final decisions very soon,” he said.
The chief minister said that 157 samples of Sukkur/Taftan were tested, of them 76 have been diagnosed as positive. The health department conducted so far 392 tests of which 27 have been declared as positive.
Giving details of the cases, the chief minister said that nine cases have travel history of Syria, three have of Duabi, four Iran, eight local transmission, one Qattar and two have history of of Saudi Arabia.
He said that Saudi Arabai cases had 17 contacts, of them three were tested as positive. Apart from local cases, there were 13 severe pneumonia cases which have been sent for lab test.
The chief minister said that the eight contact cases were dangerous and “we all have to understand the severity of the situation,” he said and added Corona virus is not fatal but it spreads through contacts and we all would have to adopt what he said was volunteer isolation.
The chief minister said that some 37 flights were scheduled yesterday, of them eight were cancelled and 5112 passengers arrived and were screened, of them 9 have been kept in quarantine as suspects. There samples have been taken and sent for test.
The CM Sindh urged the people of Karachi, Hyderabad, particularly the thickly populated cities, and towns of the province to keep themselves away from each other, keep washing hands a number of times.
“This is purely an issue of precautions but I am sorry to say people are still holding gatherings, crowding in the shopping centers and holding social gathering,” he said and added “this is what I want you [people of Sindh] to avoid.”
Replying to a question about lock down, the chief minister said in all the conditions, grocery shops, super stores, vegetable shops, chicken and mutton shops would not be closed.
“I am surprised that under the rumor of lock down the people have started stocking groceries,” he said and told the people that they had no need of stocking groceries. “Neither we would not allow hoarding nor would close shops,” he said clearly.
To a question, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that there were testing facilities at Aga Khan, Ojha and Indus hospital.
“We are testing only those who have travel history and contacts of the travelers, free of cost,” he said and added those who wanted to get them tested could test with their own expenses.