Coronavirus cases still rising: Buzdar says mosques won't be closed in Punjab

While the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 106 on Monday, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced that mosques will not be closed in Punjab.

The chief minister announced this decision during his meeting with renowned religious scholars. The CM informed them that the Punjab Cabinet has given approval to public health emergency in Punjab and corona treatment facility can be set up within one week for 100,000 people.

During the meeting, he requested the religious scholars to sensitise the people about coronavirus.

The CM said that a Cabinet committee has also been established to monitor the steps being taken to control the coronavirus. This committee regularly holds its meetings while Rs 240 million had been released to the health department for the procurement of necessary medical equipment.

The government has also allocated an amount of one billion rupees for the health department to cope with the possible coronavirus threat, he added.

He informed that 41 high dependency units in DHQ hospitals have 541 beds capacity while special hospitals have been established in Muzaffargarh, Lahore and Rawalpindi for the treatment of coronavirus. Quarantine facility has been established in DG Khan, Multan and Bahawalpur to monitor health conditions of the pilgrims, he said.

The chief minister stated that 760 pilgrims have reached DG Khan and they are being screened. Additional 10,000 kits are being procured to diagnose coronavirus, he added.

As per statics made available, there are 88 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Sindh, 10 in Balochistan, five in Gilgit-Baltistan, two in Islamabad and one in Punjab.

Sources claimed that 91 suspects of coronavirus were brought to different hospitals across the Punjab, out of whom 85 were found negative and discharged while there is only one confirmed coronavirus patient in Mayo Hospital who is under treatment at isolation ward. Vice Chancellor KEMU Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal visited the isolation ward to review the facilities provided to the victim.

The sources added that reports of six suspects including three passengers who returned from Saudi Arabia and brought to Services Hospital are awaited.