K-P witnesses 100% hike in Covid-19 cases: Jhagra
The provincial Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra has said that 100 per cent increase in the novel coronavirus cases have been recorded in the province.
Jhagra said this as he addressed a press conference in Peshawar on Sunday. It was government’s priority to ensure proper care is provided to Covid-19 patients, he said adding that they had been working to reform the healthcare system. It was highly important to take decisions that will protect both the economy and public health, he added.
Regarding the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) rally, the minister said that such gatherings could result in a wider outbreak of the virus. “Out of the total, Peshawar reported 60 per cent of the Covid-19 cases. It is dangerous to bring people from other districts for the rally, which the opposition did,” he said.
“This is contrary to what political leaders have said in the past about having stricter lockdowns,” he stated.
The provincial health minister said that the opposition’s claim regarding government efforts to stop the rallies for political reasons and is using the virus as an excuse was baseless. “We are doing this because we are worried about the public and our economy” he added.
The minister said that the PDM will be responsible if the coronavirus situation deteriorates. The provincial government on Saturday had warned the opposition leadership that cases will be lodged against them if the Covid-19 escalated in the province after the rally.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar in a statement on the microblogging network Twitter said that the coronavirus patients on ventilators in last 15 days increased by 200 per cent in Peshawar. He said that these statistics are being shared to send a message to political leaders that the novel virus is threating lives.
CM Mahmood directed to ensure availability of required medicines and medical equipment in the public sector hospitals and to enhance the testing capacity for suspected coronavirus patients.
The chief minister also directed strict implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in educational institutions for containing the spread of Covid-19.
The provincial government with the support of public successfully contained the spread of the virus to great extent, he said and urged the public to wear masks and observe social distancing.
Meanwhile, the Peshawar district administration sealed 36 shops, seven markets and 11 hotels for defying the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Several businesses were also fined a cumulative Rs67,000.
K-P Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz has directed to strictly implement the decisions taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to contain the spread of Covid-19. DNA
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2020.