Sindh government has not sought any financial assistance from the Centre: Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Tuesday that 289 new cases of the coronavirus had been detected in the province in the last 24 hours while five more patients lost their lives. "We have not made any request to the federal government for financial assistance because it has also been passing through a very difficult phase," said the chief minister at a press conference at the office of the deputy commissioner of Larkana, according to a message received here.

Senior Advisor Nisar Khuhro, Information Minister Syed Nasir Shah, Minister Irrigation Sohail Anwar Siyal, PPP leader Jameel Soomro and others were also present at the press conference.

Shah said that 30 more patients were cured on Tuesday and they returned to their homes.

"The number of the patients who have recovered from the virus is 665 which is 22 percent of the total number of patients," he said. Giving a city-wise breakdown of the fresh cases, the chief minister said 11 of them belonged to Larkana, six to Badin, one to Dadu, 12 to Hyderabad, 25 to Khairpur, two to Shaheed Benazirabad, two to Sujawal, one to Sukkur and 201 to Karachi.

The five patients who died on Tuesday belonged to Karachi. The Chairman of PPP, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah were told that out of the 1,383 returnee pilgrims from Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries, 1,257 were found to be residents of Larkana district.

The meeting was told that out of 663 tests, 63 were diagnosed as positive.

Out of the 63 positive cases 17 had been kept in home isolation, 33 at the Tabligh Markaz while five patients were shifted to a hospital in Larkana.

The chief minister was told that 83 people had been kept in quarantine out of whom 79 were discharged while four positive cases shifted to Bibi Asifa Dental College Larkana.

Murad Ali Shah was told that there were two areas of the city of Larkana, Darri and Nawa Takk, where cases of local transmission had been detected.

The chief minister was told that there were 3,313 Zakat beneficiaries who had been paid Rs6,000 per head. Earlier, the chief minister drove through the city of Larkana to observe the effectiveness of the lockdown measures.

While he was being driven through the city, the chief minister spotted a police van containing more than eight people. The chief minister had the police van stopped and told its occupants that they were supposed to ensure social distancing.