Lockdown May Be Reinstated
Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umer, suggested during a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, May 12 to reinstate the lockdown over continued violations of SOPs as soon as restrictions were eased. Similarly, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah warned in a press briefing that the provincial government is seriously considering reinstituting a strict lockdown as people continue to disregard safety precautions.
Karachi Policeman Succumbs To The Virus
Following an assistant sub-inspector who succumbed to the virus on May 11, another Karachi policeman loses his life to the potentially deadly contagion on Tuesday, May 12. According to reports, the late inspector is believed to have contracted the virus at an Ehsaas Emergency Cash distribution point in the Razzaqabad area of Karachi. He was immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment but his condition progressively deteriorated until he breathed his last on Tuesday.
Returning Pakistanis Test Positive
379 of 4,344 Pakistanis repatriated from several countries via special PIA flights from April 28 to May 8 in Punjab tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, test results of 760 Pakistanis flown in from Dubai to Multan and Faisalabad are currently awaited. So far, 7,756 Pakistanis have been brought back in the period between April 14 and May 10.
PHC Staff Contract Virus
Peshawar High Court sealed its principal seat on Tuesday, May 12 till May 31 as a yet unknown number of staff members tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Two single-member benches are to remain open, meanwhile, the PHC has ordered its staff to submit affidavits that declare their health as well as that of their immediate family and neighbors.
Private Hospitals To Treat Poor Virus Patients
Five private hospitals in Karachi agreed to take in poor COVID-19 patients who would have otherwise been unable to afford treatment under the condition that the Sindh government would pay the hospitals in advance. The private hospitals include the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) Karachi, Dr. Ziauddin hospitals, South City Hospital, Patel Hospital and Altamash General Hospital, which come equipped with their own COVID-19 testing labs, high dependency units (HDU), intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators for virus patients.