3 Pindi areas sealed after 7 new cases

Army called in to convince Covid-19 patients in Ratta Amral to shift to RIUKT

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: After seven fresh novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases emerged there, the district administration on Monday sealed off three neighbourhoods in different areas of Rawalpindi.

Among those who tested positive on Monday was a woman with the total number of cases in the twin cities soaring past 200, including 131 in Islamabad and 71 in Rawalpindi.

The fresh cases in Islamabad were reported from Sectors G-8, G-9 and G-10. In Rawalpindi, the cases were reported from Banni, Ratta Amral and Pirwadhai areas. The Rawalpindi district administration and the district health authority cordoned off the residences of the patients and the streets they were located on.

In Islamabad, District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said that they had responded to a case emerging in Sector G-10.

In a tweet, Dr Zia said that they were expanding the process of random sampling in the city - particularly in the worst affected areas.

“Every day, we sample hundreds [of people] and keep a close eye on disease pattern,” he said, adding that this method had helped them complete successful containment operations in Kot Hathial, Shahzad Town, Rawal Town, Taramri, Mehrabadi and other urban sectors of the federal capital.

Separately, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration in a notification has again directed the outpatient departments (OPDs) of hospitals in the federal capital to close. Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, while confirming the closure of OPDs, said that emergency departments in hospitals will continue to operate.

Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, the health teams posted warning signs on the doors of houses while the infected patients were shifted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT).

In the Badar Colony area of Pirwadhai, where a resident was shifted to the hospital, health officials collected samples from the neighbours of the Covid-19 patient.

Similarly, four members of a family living in the Paghwari area of Banni also tested positive for the virus. Police and health teams reached the site and sealed off the entire street while the patients were shifted to the hospital.

Meanwhile, a sexagenarian man, who had tested positive for Covid-19, has infected his grandson and daughter-in-law, both of whom tested positive for the virus on Monday. Police and health teams immediately rushed to their house located on Babu Lal Hussain Road within the remits of the Ratta Amral police station.

The family, though, initially refused to hand over the infected patients to the health teams and insisted on self-isolating at home. The district administration officials called in the army to handle the situation after which the Army officials convinced the family.

The patients were finally persuaded and shifted to RIUKT in a special Rescue 1122 ambulance. The remaining family members were allowed to stay at home in isolation. As a precaution, their swab samples have been sent for testing.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2020.