Pakistan virus
Pakistan Security personnel stand guard outside the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. The PSL has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Image Credit: AP

Dubai: Coronavirus is now fast spreading in Pakistan as the country reported 158 new cases on Monday and Tuesday bringing the total tally to 212 on Tuesday.

Sindh and Punjab provinces have reported five cases each on Tuesday. In a news conference, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid confirmed five new COVID-19 cases in the province

Sindh province has been the worst-hit so far with 172 total number of confirmed coronavirus cases. Sukkar, a small city in Sindh, has recorded most numbe 119 cases. All of them have come back after visiting Iran using the land route through Taftan border. Five new cases of the novel coronavirus emerged in Sindh on Tuesday.

Provincial governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have announced to provide free food packages to the families of patients infected with coronavirus.

Murtaza Whab, Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Information, tweeted the development on Tuesday morning.

Wahab said a total of 234 tests were conducted out of which 119 pilgrims tested positive in Sukkur. In rest of Sindh, 36 patients tested positive out of which 34 are under treatment while two have recovered.

Overall, Sindh has 155 confirmed cases while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 15, Balochistan 10, Islamabad four, Gilgit-Baltistan three, Punjab two and Azad Jammu and Kashmir has reported none, according to the Express Tribune.

According to NIH, a total of 995,821 travellers have been screened at entry points so far out of which 20,187 travellers were checked in the 24 hours.

On Sunday, Punjab had reported its first case, while the Sindh government had reported 18 new cases (13 from Sukkur and five from Karachi). One new case was also reported from Islamabad.

KP government spokesperson Ajmal Wazir on Tuesday said the provincial government has set up additional quarantine centres for the 250 pilgrims coming into the province.

Wazir added that all trainings have been postponed at the police academy. “All the decisions that we are taking are being done to keep the public safe. Our first priority is to keep our province safe. “We all need to work together,” he added.

Meanwhile, provincial governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday announced free food packages for families of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed for food packages — including 20kg of flour, 10 kilos each of rice and sugar, a carton of one-litre milk, five kilos of pulses, and five boxes of tea — to be provided to the coronavirus affectees’ families.

On the other hand, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed for food packages to be provided to the families of people kept in the isolation centre in Sukkur.

“Your breadwinners are in isolation, you must be worried about daily income. Don’t worry about those in isolation centre; focus on your health instead,” Shah said in a message on Monday.