Punjab government introduced the Punjab Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Ordinance, 2020 reinforcing coronavirus security measures. According to the law, any private hospital or practitioner in Punjab can be ordered to treat coronavirus patients and anyone knowing about a potential patient has to inform certified medical officer immediately. Burial and transportation of these patients has to be carried out under restricted provisions.
A US-based medical company has unveiled a coronavirus test that can tell if someone is infected in as little as five minutes. The test launched by Abbott Laboratories is a portable test that can be used in almost any health-care setting. The company plans to supply 50,000 tests a day starting April 1, John Frels, vice president of research and development at Abbott Diagnostics said.
Pakistan has decided to keep its borders with Iran, Afghanistan and India closed for another two weeks as it stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf announced the decision but added that the government could give special waivers for flights if a country requests to evacuate its stranded citizens in Pakistan.
Danyal Zafar released a new track after asking his fans for help on the7th day in quarantine and within 24-hours they came up with Udh Chaliye. Zafar shared the final cut on Twitter and said that the full video was out on YouTube. He also thanked his fans for sending in their videos.
China has sent eight health experts in a special flight to Pakistan as a part of its assistance to help Pakistan combat the novel coronavirus. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the special flight will land at the Islamabad International Airport and the special team will stay in the country for two weeks.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), has tested positive for coronavirus. According to an official statement, he has mild symptoms and will continue to lead the government while he’s self-isolated. Boris informed about his condition in a tweet earlier today, adding that he has gone into self-isolation. The premier will continue to lead the government’s efforts to control the spread of the deadly virus virtually.
The Pakistan Post has started delivering pensions to people across the country on their doorsteps, Federal Minister for Postal Services Murad Saeed confirmed on Saturday. More than Rs1.3 million have successfully been delivered to 275,000 pensioners across the country. Saeed has credited the success of the project to the employees of the Pakistan Post and called them “real heroes”.
Six hundred bottles of fake hand sanitiser were seized at a plaza in Peshawar’s Faqirabad. The raid was jointly conducted by the district administration, Peshawar Additional Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Shafiq Afridi and Faqirabad SHO Javed Akhtar. Some arrests were also made. The country is currently facing a shortage of face masks and hand sanitiser amid its battle with the coronavirus.
The Sindh government announced on Thursday that it will release Rs580 million for the distribution of food supplies to daily wage workers in the province. According to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Rs20 million will be allocated to each district in the province. The amount will be given to district commissioners of each union council who will then distribute ration among the lower-income groups.
Friday congregations will continue in Pakistan and mosques will not be placed on lockdown, according to Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman. Rehman said the meeting could not reach a consensus on a decree issued by Egypt’s Al-Azhar University. The decree said that a Muslim government could suspend congregational prayers. Rehman said people should offer sunnah and nawafil at home for all prayers, including Friday’s.