Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that 61 new cases of the coronavirus have been detected in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the province to 627.
Out of the total number of cases, 293 cases pertained to local transmission, he said on Tuesday at the CM House during a meeting to review the overall efforts of the government to contain the coronavirus in the province.
He said that 272 cases (43 percent) were returnee pilgrims, 62 (10 percent) had had travel history too, and 293 (47 percent) were local transmission.
Shah said that in the last 24 hours 57 cases of local transmission were detected. "The issue is local transmission, and we have to contain it through strict measures," he said.
The health department told the chief minister that in 45 hospitals having 505 beds had been provided with the required facilities of isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
At present 315 patients were under treatment at hospitals, and 310 of them were stable while five were in a critical condition. Some 263 were quarantined at their homes, and 42 had recovered while seven patients died.
The chief minister said that the purpose of the lockdown could only be served when everyone observed social distancing voluntarily.
"I would kindly request our people to stay home, be safe and let others be safe," he said.
Meanwhile, Syed Murad Ali Shah directed provincial minister Imtiaz Shaikh and his team to get the data from the federal government agencies such as NADRA and PDMA so that relief work could be started in the province.
The chief minister held a meeting with his relief team comprising Imtiaz Shaikh, Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah, Murtaza Wahab and Haris Gazdar, and they told him that they were ready to start the relief work.
The chief minister directed the chief secretary to coordinate with the federal agencies to get the required data so that the relief work could be launched.