CM Sindh imposes province-wide lockdown to fight coronavirus

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Sunday announced that a lockdown will be imposed throughout Sindh starting midnight (March 23) for the next 15 days in order to control the coronavirus outbreak .

According to the details, The chief minister said that that if citizens needed to go to the hospital, only three persons will be allowed to travel in a car.

“After 12am tonight Sindh will undergo a lockdown,” he said. “People will not be allowed to venture out of their homes unnecessarily.”

Shah said that following discussions with all stakeholders, it was decided that the only way to control the virus was to curtail its spread.

He also said, “There is only one way to curtail its spread, as this virus transfers from one person to another very fast, so we need to minimise people’s interaction.”

Sindh govt imposes complete lock down across Sind to ensure that people stay home for their own safety. The details of the lock down have been specified by CM Sindh @MuradAliShahPPP Sb.#CoronaVirusPakistan #LockDownPakisan
2/2 pic.twitter.com/boCCYAtrvS

— Syed Nasir Hussain Shah (@SyedNasirHShah) March 22, 2020

The chief minister said that ATMs will remain open. He said that banks should operate with only their essential staff.

Shah also said, he spoke to K-Electric, Sui Southern Gas Company, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) , Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board that there should be no loadshedding.

Those whose electricity bills below Rs 4,000 will not be required to pay their bill this month, it will be added to their bills over the subsequent months. For Sui Southern Gas Company, the threshold was set at Rs 2,000.

PM asks the nation to adopt preventive measures: Dr Firdous

Earlier on Saturday, The Sindh government sought Pakistan Army’s help to deal with the deadly virus.

In a letter to the Ministry of Interior, the Sindh government requested to deploy armed forces in aid to the civil power in the province under Article 245 of the constitution.

It must be noted that the total number of novel coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 644 after new COVID-19 cases were reported from all provinces.