Govt to boost awareness campaign to contain coronavirus spread
PM’s aide says cabinet has rejected proposal to declare health emergency across country
PM's aide on information Firdous Ashiq Awan briefs media on Tuesday. PHOTO: PID/FILE
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As the number of novel coronavirus cases in Pakistan has jumped to five, the federal government has decided to boost “preventive and awareness campaign” to contain the spread of highly contagious disease across the country.
“The federal cabinet urged to strengthen preventive and awareness campaign with the coordination of all provinces across the country but it rejected the proposal of Health Ministry to declare national health emergency in the country,” Prime Minister Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Tuesday.
She was addressing a press conference following the federal cabinet meeting held in Islamabad.
Earlier in the day, State Minister for Health Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed the fifth case after a 45-year-old woman from Gilgit-Baltistan who recently visited Iran was diagnosed with COVID-19.
"Dr Zafar Mirza briefed the federal cabinet in detail on the measures being taken to contain the spread of coronavirus," said PM’s aide.
The PM's aide said Dr Mirza sought cabinet’s nod for buying equipment and taking several preventive measures to deal with coronavirus.
The federal cabinet, she said, has emphasised the need to strengthen the awareness campaign and make medical screening more effective particularly of those coming from Iran and China at all entry points of the country.
The virus has spread to more than 30 countries, killing over 2,700 and infecting at least 80,000 – mostly in China.
But new outbreaks in Europe, Middle East and Asia have fanned fears of the contagion taking hold in poor nations that lack the healthcare infrastructure to cope.
There are also growing fears in Pakistan — sandwiched between China and Iran, both hotspots for the disease — over how the country would deal with the outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, has updated the global risk level to ‘very high’.
As the number of novel coronavirus cases in Pakistan has jumped to five, the federal government has decided to boost “preventive and awareness campaign” to contain the spread of highly contagious disease across the country.
“The federal cabinet urged to strengthen preventive and awareness campaign with the coordination of all provinces across the country but it rejected the proposal of Health Ministry to declare national health emergency in the country,” Prime Minister Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Tuesday.
She was addressing a press conference following the federal cabinet meeting held in Islamabad.
Earlier in the day, State Minister for Health Dr Zafar Mirza confirmed the fifth case after a 45-year-old woman from Gilgit-Baltistan who recently visited Iran was diagnosed with COVID-19.
"Dr Zafar Mirza briefed the federal cabinet in detail on the measures being taken to contain the spread of coronavirus," said PM’s aide.
The PM's aide said Dr Mirza sought cabinet’s nod for buying equipment and taking several preventive measures to deal with coronavirus.
The federal cabinet, she said, has emphasised the need to strengthen the awareness campaign and make medical screening more effective particularly of those coming from Iran and China at all entry points of the country.
The virus has spread to more than 30 countries, killing over 2,700 and infecting at least 80,000 – mostly in China.
But new outbreaks in Europe, Middle East and Asia have fanned fears of the contagion taking hold in poor nations that lack the healthcare infrastructure to cope.
There are also growing fears in Pakistan — sandwiched between China and Iran, both hotspots for the disease — over how the country would deal with the outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, has updated the global risk level to ‘very high’.