CMYK
Saturday, 21 March, 2020 I 25 Rajab, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 262 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Govt stresses self-isolation as corona tally nears 500 g
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pm imran says no lockdown yet as sindh cm urges voluntary self-isolation for three days after karachi man dies
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imran hopeful pakistan’s hot and dry weather will mitigate coronavirus threat
Balochistan govt announces partial lockdown for 21 days
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI
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staff report
rime minister imran khan on friday expressed the hope that pakistan’s “hot and dry” weather will help to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak, urging citizens to exercise social distancing and self-discipline, as the first coronavirus patient died in karachi pushing the total number of deaths till now to three and the number of infected citizens across the country to 495. while the prime minister ruled out a complete lockdown in the country to contain the outbreak, the sindh government urged its citizens to practice complete self-isolation for three days amid a rapid increase in cases in the province — 252 by friday night. in punjab 92 patients have tested positive for the
deadly virus so far, in kp 23, in islamabad 10 and in aJk and gB 22. earlier, hours after a 77-year-old coronavirus patient, who was a cancer survivor and had diabetes and hypertension but no travel or contact history, died in karachi, sindh chief minister murad ali shah said that the people should go into complete isolation for three days as it is important for them to stay inside for their personal safety and the safety of others. meanwhile, the Balochistan government also imposed a partial lockdown for 21 days to prevent the spread of the virus as the cases there increased to 92. speaking to a private news channel after pm imran’s briefing to a select group of tv journalists, special assistant to the prime minister on Broadcasting and information dr firdous ashiq awan said the government had
not yet decided to lockdown the country, however the government would take every decision in the larger interest of the people. “we would evolve a strategy in consultation with pakistan army, national security institutions, and provincial governments to benefit the citizens and to prevent the spreading of coronavirus in any part of the country. the final strategy with consensus of public and institutions would be implemented in letter and spirit,” she said, not ruling out a lockdown if the situation continued to worsen. earlier, while addressing news anchors and senior columnists, prime minister imran said that centre might consider a nationwide lockdown if things get out of hand. “it is very important that those who show symptoms of coronavirus must go into selfquarantine,” he said, adding that people should avoid social gatherings for the next two months. “we can manage the outbreak. there is a difference of opinion, but some doctors say that the type of heat pakistan experiences, that makes the virus lose its effectiveness to spread,” he said. the prime minister said that the situation is being monitored and tracked on a daily basis and pakistan is learning from the experience of various countries, especially china, to tackle this menace.
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Imran orders opening of Chaman border for Afghan trade STORY ON PAGE 03
CMYK
Govt redirects $40m non-utilised WB funds to fight coronavirus NEWS DESK the federal government on friday redirected $40 million non-utilised funds from world Bank projects that can be used by the federal and provincial government to battle the coronavirus, announced minister for economic affairs hammad azhar. according to the breakdown shared by the minister, punjab has $7.5 million, sindh has $10 million, khyber pakhtunkhwa has 7 million, Balochistan has 2 million,
while the federal government has $13.5 million. azhar also clarified that the funds allocation between provinces was not determined by the federal government. he added that the funds was a simple “reallocation of non utilised funds going back into the same provinces where they were lying unused earlier.” the minister said that release of funds is a part of $600 million package being arranged to fight the coronavirus in the country.
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more inside
US announces $1m fund for Pakistan’s anti-corona effort STORY ON PAGE 03
virus deaths pass 10,000 as california STORY ON BACK PAGE shuts down