Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar received the special PIA flight carrying personal protection equipment (PPEs) worth Rs100 million at Lahore Airport here on Monday.

The material has been donated by Chinese provinces Shandong, Jiangsu and Ningxia to help fighting Covid-19 pandemic in the Punjab.

The material given by china includes protective suits, N-95 and surgical masks, gloves and disposable medical protectors for medical professionals and janitorial staff engaged in the battle against Covid-19.

Talking on this occasion, the CM said: "We are thankful to the Chinese government for sending PPEs as Pak-China friendship is intertwined through the bond of immortal relations."

He said Covid-19 patients with minor symptoms are allowed home isolation and SOPs formulated under the guidance of WHO will be implemented.

"The purpose of easing lockdown is to restore economic activities and to provide employment opportunities to daily- wagers," the CM said, adding "I appeal to the people to follow SOPs and pay tributes to medical staff engaged in the treatment of Covid-19 patients."

The CM also inaugurated the 'Insaf Imdad Program' during his visit to Nankana Sahib district where he also inspected the aid distribution in Government MC Girls School.

Talking to them, the CM told that Rs12000 each will be given to 25 lac needy families. "No one can challenge the immaculate transparency of this program which is solely meant for the needy families and the Punjab government will not leave alone the impoverished families, affected due to the lockdown," he stressed.

Moreover, the Primary and Secondary Health Care Department issued a notification which envisages that the patient opting home isolation must score 12 out of 15 points. Five numbers have been allotted for separate room, three for separate washroom, two for hypertension, one number apiece for home location, availability of phone, caregiver, transport and education of family.

Furthermore, the patient's home must not be more than an hour away from the high-dependency unit (HDU).

Patients admitted to hospitals without Covid-19 symptoms can also submit application to the committee for home isolation from today.

On the other hand, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar while addressing a ceremony of 120,000 masks' distribution and opening of 32 disinfection tunnels besides speaking to media persons at Hafeez Centre, said: "If virus spreads, there will be no option but to withdraw relaxations and impose strict restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19."

As soon as the businesses opened, the governor regretted that people came out of their homes in droves believing that the dreadful Covid-19 had subsided. But actually, he said, the situation of virus spread was getting serious with every passing day.

He said the country's defense was in safe hands and India would be responded in the same coin, if it dared any misadventure against Pakistan and added that the whole nation was standing with the Pakistan Army.

Responding to a question, the governor said strict lockdown would immediately be imposed to save Pakistan from a bigger crisis, if the Covid-19 spread saw surge during the current relaxations. He said the fight against Covid-19 pandemic was not of any individual or the government alone but the whole nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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