Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing & Town Planning, Religious Affairs, Forest and Wildlife Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that so far, 198 people had been tested for the Coronavirus, out of which 14 people were found affected by the virus.
Provincial Minister for Information said that the meeting of the task force was being presided over by Sindh Chief Minister on a daily basis at Chief Minister's House to conduct a detailed review of the situation arose after spread of the coronavirus.
He said this while addressing a press conference on Thursday. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was personally monitoring the situation related to the coronavirus. The minister said that people coming from abroad were being screened, while people coming from Taftan had been tested. He said that 1500 people were contacted by the government in Sindh and anyone suspected of them was tested for the coronavirus.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah made it clear that the coronavirus was not spreading in the province; rather it was found in people coming from abroad. Referring to the Pakistan Super League's matches in Karachi, the provincial minister said it was the choice of every person whether he wanted to watch the match or not, the government had completed all its arrangements.
He said that the decision regarding schools closure would be taken at a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Education Department. Nasir Hussain Shah said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should have convened a meeting of all four chief ministers on the situation arising from the coronavirus. He said that the Prime Minister had not yet contacted the Chief Minister Sindh in this regard.
He said that all countries were making excellent arrangements to deal with the coronavirus but our Prime Minister had not yet called a single meeting in this regard. He labelled Imran Khan as a Prime Minister on tweets only.
Responding to a question, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the government had taken strict action against those who were selling expensive masks. He said that not everyone needed to wear a mask. He said that the use of ordinary soaps and sanitizers could be beneficial for people in this situation.
The provincial minister said that the responsibility of screening at the airports was with the federal government but the Health Department of Sindh has also provided staff for the same. He said that Saudi Arabia and other countries were following rigorous procedure of screening and that people were kept waiting for several hours in these countries. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that it was good to know that the common people were also offering masks to the people as safety precaution.
Responding to a question, he said that Sindh government was going to set up courts of Sindh Building Control Authority (SCBA) to prevent illegal construction in the province. He said that 28 officers of SCBA involved in illegal construction had been suspended and they would be arrested soon. Answering another question, Nasir Hussain Shah said that a decision on wheat procurement would be made soon.