COVID-19: 300 travellers leave Taftan for Sindh

KARACHI: A group of 300 travellers left Taftan on Saturday evening, heading for Jacobabad, while another batch will leave the Iran-Pakistan border for Sindh on March 10. Quarantine arrangements have been made for them in Sukkur.

Meanwhile, the first person diagnosed with coronavirus in the city, a 22-year-old man who had recently returned from Iran, was discharged from the hospital after his recovery. The two other patients are also said to be recovering rapidly.

During a coronavirus taskforce meeting on Saturday, Sindh health secretary Dr Zahid Abbasi informed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that four suspected patients had been tested on Saturday and all of them tested negative for the virus. Meanwhile, the sample of another suspected patient has been sent for tests.

Abbasi further revealed that the Sindh government has conducted 100 tests so far, of which 97 were negative, while three were positive.

According to officials at the meeting, 282 of the traveller who returned from Iran have been quarantined at their homes with regular monitoring by a team of doctors, and 17 of them would complete their isolation period on Saturday.

Shah was informed at the meeting that 300 more travellers had left Taftan for Jacobabad on Saturday and would be quarantined in Sukkur. He directed the Sukkur district health officer and his team to take samples from the incoming travellers and send them to the Aga Khan University Hospital laboratories for testing.

Shah also directed Sukkur commissioner Shafiq Mahesar to make the best possible residential arrangements for the travellers and provide them with three healthy meals a day. "I want you to keep them happy and content," he said. Mahesar assured the officials present that accommodation arrangements had already been made for 500 travellers, while arrangements for another 300 would be made within the next two days.

It was further discussed that arrangements for next batch of pilgrims arriving on March 10 also needed to be made, to which Provincial Disaster Management Authority director general Salman Shah said that his department had already sent necessary items to Sukkur for their use. Meanwhile, World Health Organisation representatives suggested that an on-site counsellor would also be important for the wellbeing of those quarantined.

Separately, Shah directed the airport authorities to remain vigilant and screen all incoming passengers travelling from Italy and South Korea. He further instructed the authorities to share the medical reports of these travellers with the health department. He pointed out that Iran had 1,000 new cases of coronavirus, which is alarming for Pakistan. "Precautionary measures as advised to the people of Sindh must be continued," he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2020.