'Coronaalert': PTA is sending SMS alerts to people at risk of COVID-19 infection

People who receive the 'coronaalert' message should call 1166 helpline

Several people took to their social media accounts to authenticate a ‘mysterious’ message they had received related to coronavirus.

“It has been observed that you may have come in contact with a confirmed coronavirus case in the last 14 days. You are, therefore, requested to take necessary precautionary measures by self-quarantine,” the sms alert reads.

PHOTO: Twitter

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on the request of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (MoNHSRC) is sending out SMS alerts to people who might have come in contact with COVID-19 affected individuals during traveling or at other places.

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Those who receive the message should call 1166 helpline and visit the nearest hospital to get them checked in case of having symptoms such as fever, cough, and problem in breathing and pain in the body.

Press Release: PTA on the request of Ministry of Health(MoH) is sending out SMS alerts to people who might have come in contact with Corona Virus affected indiduals during travelling or at other places.#PakistanFightsCorona

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) March 23, 2020

The message sender appears as 'Coronaalert'. These messages are not ‘FAKE’ or ‘Spam’ messages.

Tania Aidrus, Head of Digital Pakistan also took to twitter encouraging people to take this message seriously and go into self-isolation.

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“Learning from places like South Korea, we facilitated @nhsrcofficial to send SMS alerts to those who have been in close proximity to people who tested #COVID positive. If you’ve received this message, I request you to stay calm & go into self isolation.”

Learning from places like South Korea, we facilitated @nhsrcofficial to send SMS alerts to those who have been in close proximity to people who tested #COVID positive. If you’ve received this message, I request you to stay calm & go into self isolation. #DigitalPakistan https://t.co/m0ZJ7NB1HE pic.twitter.com/cJbii7EyyR

— Tania Aidrus (@taidrus) March 23, 2020