Shehbaz concerned at Punjab infections surge

PML-N president calls for establishing quarantine centres on a large scale

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has urged the government to take immediate notice of the increasing number of the novel coronavirus patients in Punjab that have jumped to 638.

“If the government did not take urgent measures, I fear a massive catastrophe happening in Punjab,” he said in a statement on Monday.

He criticised the government’s decision of “not carrying out virus tests” and demanded that all the data related to Covid-19 patients, testing, and screening should be made public.

Shehbaz, who is also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, recently returned from the United Kingdom for the “sake of public” in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. Despite being critical of the PTI-led government policies, he has called for a coordinated effort in the fight against the pandemic.

“It’s a crime to hide numbers of victims, testing and screenings. Hiding the facts could not change the ground realities and it would not even help in containing the spread,” Shehbaz said.

The opposition leader advised the authorities concerned to establish testing and quarantine centres, which should be separated from hospitals, on a large-scale to stem the tide of infections.

Shehbaz said: “District and Tehsil hospitals are severely lacking safety kits, medicines, and related medical facilities.” He alleged that the premier was paving the way for the spread of virus by not pursuing any effective counter-strategy and not providing necessary precautionary facilities.

“PM Imran’s attitude to deal with the menace is equivalent to surrendering in the war against Covid-19,” he said.

The PML-N president stressed the need for ensuring the facility of protective gear for doctors, nurses and the medical staff working on the frontline in the war on the virus.

Suggesting preventive measures, he said that patients in hospitals should be immediately separated from the patients, who are infected with the virus, or else “the situation may turn to worse”.

He said: “The establishment of separate quarantine centres in Punjab should be given priority on an emergency basis.” Government schools, colleges, hotels, wedding halls, and mosques must be converted into quarantine centers, he said.

So far, the PM has called at least two meetings of the National Coordination Committee to deal with the situation caused by the outbreak. Moreover, ministers, aides, and NDMA DG are holding press conferences on a daily basis to brief the people about the latest updates.

The government is making “ill-fated attempts” to contain the ratio of confirmed cases and taking few tests, which is feared to spread the virus to an alarming extent, he added.

“Government has not yet provided accurate test and screening data in Pakistan,” he said, “Lack of arrangements of training for doctors, nurses and paramedic staff regarding coronavirus is another sign of threat.”

The opposition leader was of the view that establishing isolation wards in urban populations increase the risk of coronavirus in general patients.

He called for starting “emergency campaigns” on the district and tehsil level, including in remote areas, to inform the people about coronavirus. Screening and testing of doctors and nurses should be conducted on a regular basis, he added.