Affected alleys in 11 Karachi UCs sealed

The Sindh government withdrew its decision to cordon off several areas in District East, less than six hours after ordering them sealed.

Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that the Deputy Commissioner East has been asked to seal only affected alleys and streets of certain UCs.

Earlier, on the instruction of the chief minister, the District East deputy commissioner had sealed 11 union councils of his district where more cases of Covid-19 were detected. These union councils included UC-6 Gilani Railways, UC-7 Dalmia, UC-8 Jamali Colony, UC-9 Gulshan-II, UC-10 Pehalwan Goth, UC-12 Gulzar-e-Hijri, UC -13 Safora, UC-14 Faisal Cant, UC-1 Manzoor Colony, UC-9 Jacob Lines and UC-10 Jamshed Quarters.

The provincial government directed Karachi police and Rangers to cordon off the affected union councils.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in his video message released from the CM House that during the last 24 hours, 104 new coronavirus cases, 20 percent of the tested cases, were detected in the province which was the highest average in the world.

"This is quite a worrying situation, and its solution lies in social distancing and observing the lockdown in letter and in spirit," he said.

The chief minister said that during the last 24 hours (Friday to Saturday 8am), 104 out of 531 samples tested positive.

"This is 20 percent of the total cases tested which is the highest average of positive cases in the world," he said, adding that now the province had 1,318 positive cases.

Twenty-eight people died of coronavirus in the province so far.

According to the chief minister 922 patients were under treatment in different hospitals while about 380 had recovered and gone back to their homes.

Giving the age bracket of the positive cases, the chief minister said that 64 people between the age of 1 year to 10 years had been affected; 104 from 11 to 20; 270 from 21 to 30; 227 from 31 to 40; 182 from 41 to 50; 197 from 51 to 60; 135 from 61 to 70; 41 from 71 to 80; and five from 81 to 90.

The chief minister said that the frequency of the growth in the number of the cases of the coronavirus required of us to ascertain how we would lead our lives onwards.

"To me, its only solution is lockdown, and now few days are left of the present lockdown, and we all have to observe it in letter and spirit," he said and added that even in the post-lockdown period people had to ensure social distancing at their work places and at home and "even on the buses."

Shah said that the lockdown was taken lightly by the people and that was why the number of cases in the city and other districts started increasing.

"I have ordered further tightening of the lockdown in Malir and some other areas where more cases have been diagnosed," he said. "This is a very serious matter, and we have to take it as such."