Capital suffers first Covid-19 fatality

Victim was buried in a specially marked graveyard for virus patients

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: The federal capital on Tuesday recorded its first fatality from the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) even as the number of cases in the twin cities soared past 130.

Meanwhile, the traffic in the twin cities fell on Tuesday and most of the main markets remained closed after a day’s light activity on Monday.

Fatality

In the fatality due to Covid-19 in the federal capital, a 39-year-old woman succumbed to the virus even as the number of cases rose to 83. She was identified as a Pakistani-origin Briton Shabnam Sadiq. She was said to be a close relative of the British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan.

The deceased was under treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) when she succumbed to the disease and passed away late on Monday.

Her body was sent to her native village, Matore in the Kahuta region near the federal capital.

All her funeral rites were performed under the strict supervision of the local police, health and district officials. Later, the body was taken to a graveyard allocated for the burial of infected patients. Only five people, including the deceased’s husband Raja Khizar, her father Raja Sarfaraz, were allowed to attend her funeral prayers as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) devised by the Punjab government.

Kahuta Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospital Medical Superintendent (MS) supervised the entire activity. Later, the teams of the health department disinfected the site.

A child selling face masks walks past stocks of whole wheat flour in the capital. PHOTOS: ONLINE

Another case in Jhelum

Meanwhile, another confirmed Covid-19 case was reported from Jhelum where the total number of cases has risen to 31.

The patient has been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Jhelum District Health Authority (DHA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Wasim Iqbal said on Tuesday.

The official added that seven people, who remained in close contact with the patient, have also been shifted to a quarantine centre for two weeks as a precautionary measure. Samples from the suspected patients have been dispatched for testing, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Iqbal said that six people, who have been under isolation in the district, have been sent back to their homes in Chak Dina after their test results came back negative.

He added that these individuals were being sent home as they had completed their two-week isolation. Apart from them, five other suspected patients, who hailed from the Islamia school neighbourhood in Jhelum, have also been sent home after they tested negative for the virus.

Newly-built college to serve as quarantine

Although the Pakistan Railways has handed over the administration of a recently-constructed, Rs100 million college to the Punjab government for educational purposes, the provincial government has decided to use it as a quarantine centre, at least until the current closure of educational institutions across the province — to last until May 31 ends.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) had taken over the administration of the Post-Graduate Girls College in the Saddar area. But with the government expecting a flood of suspected and infected patients as the number of cases in the province top 2,000, they believe that the uninhabited institution can better serve as a quarantine centre.

An official of the Punjab government told The Express Tribune on Tuesday that the main building of the college will be converted into an isolation facility within a short time of four days.

Asked about where classes will be held once the academic year starts, the official said that classes are expected to commence in the new academic year in August and that they will have plenty of time before then to disinfect the facility.

Safety precautions for prayers

With the district administration advising against congregational prayers owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, with only five members of the mosque staff allowed to attend the prayers five times a day and the Friday prayers, members of the Rawalpindi Peace Committee have urged the government to allow the entry of worshippers in mosques should they conform to all preventive measures against the disease.

Peace Committee Chairman Allama Pir Syed Izhar assured the district administration that they will stand shoulder to shoulder with the authorities in their anti-coronavirus campaign.

However, they urged that congregational prayers be resumed after taking due precautionary and preventive measures. He said that the district administration can distribute facemasks and anti-bacterial soaps amongst worshippers when they arrive at the mosques. Those arriving at mosques should be directed to perform ablutions at home while maintaining social distancing guidelines in the worship place.

Guards at the worship places must be instructed to wear facemasks and gloves, he suggested.

Izhar further urged the public to donate to charity for the underprivileged and destitute people in this complex situation.

Rations distributed

In an act of philanthropy, the Rawalpindi police on Tuesday started distributing rations amongst the unprivileged residents of the city. In the initial phase, they delivered ration packets to some 125 widows.

The police have compiled data of widows who have been hardest hit due to the lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and distributed rations in different areas on the first day.

The ration packs contain essential items such as flour, sugar, lentils, etc. Packs were distributed amongst 53 widows within the jurisdiction of the Waris Khan Circle while 22 were delivered to such households in the Civil Lines circle. Some 22 such families benefitted from the aid in the Cantonment Circle and 29 packets were doled out in Saddar division.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Ahsan Younus said that they have made arrangements for as many as 2,000 unprivileged families, whose female breadwinners worked as either labourers or daily-wage workers.

He added that apart from being on the frontlines against the pandemic, they were conscious of the difficulties faced by the public. He vowed that the unprivileged will not be left alone in this difficult time.

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