Govt using technology to identify coronavirus hotspots: Umar

• Minister says Punjab is enforcing smart lockdown in some 169 areas while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is enforcing smart lockdown in 177 areas.
• Government has completed work on a portal where data will be collected from all 424 hospitals dealing with coronavirus patients: Umar.

(Karachi) Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said that the government will use technology to trace coronavirus cases and identify virus hotspots across the country to enforce a smart lockdown.

Addressing media briefing at the National Command and Operation Centre in Islamabad on Sunday, Umar said that according to available data, Punjab is enforcing smart lockdown in some 169 areas while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is enforcing smart lockdown in 177 areas.

The minister said the government has engaged with the Rural Support Programme Network which has access to more than 25 percent of the population.

Umar said the government is working on a mobile application which people could download for getting information about hospitals and coronavirus facilities. "If someone tests positive [for the virus], they can consult the app to find the nearest hospital that has facilities."

He added that the government has completed work on a portal where data will be collected from all 424 hospitals dealing with coronavirus patients in the country.