QUETTA: The Baloc­histan government on Monday said it would take strict action against those members of Levies force and government officials who were allegedly aiding people to cross the border into the province amid efforts to contain coronavirus.

The decision was made at a high-level meeting presided by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani who also announced that the Balochistan government would establish check-posts from Taftan to Quetta to monitor the illegal movement of people coming from across the border.

The chief minister directed authorities concerned to adopt measures and also issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for protection of government officials deployed at quarantine centres in Taftan and Quetta.

Other measures decided at the meeting included ensuring safety of buses transporting pilgrims at the national highway between Quetta and Taftan, enhancing the testing process of pilgrims and improving facilities for them. More isolation centres would be set up in private hospitals in Quetta and other suitable buildings.

Checkpoints to be set up to monitor illegal movement

With the number of COVID-19 cases surging in different parts of the country and reports of unhygienic conditions in Taftan where a large number of Pakistanis returning from Iran have been kept in quarantine, the Balochistan government has come under the spotlight for its response.

Balochistan’s health department has the capacity to test 50 coronavirus cases daily and they had 300 test kits available to them out of which 160 had been utilised, the meeting attendees were told by the health secretary, director general of the PDMA (Pakistan District Management Authority) and commissioner Quetta.

Provincial ministers Mir Zia Langove, Zamrak Khan Achakzai, Mir Zahoor Buledi, Additional Chief Secretary Interior Hafiz Abdul Basit, who participated in the meeting along with the Balochistan CM, also reviewed virus treatment and emergency care facilities in Quetta and the provision of emergency measures.

At the meeting it was also decided to send pilgrims back to their respective provinces where the provinces concerned can carry out tests of pilgrims suspected of carrying the virus and quarantine them if needed.

“The Balochistan government needs more test kits for conducting tests of more people returning from Iran to the province as they may be carriers of the virus,” said Mr Alyani.

Mr Alyani also took part in a video conference chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan who reviewed implementation of the National Security Council’s strategies in containing the spread of the virus. The Balochistan CM informed the PM about the measures Balochistan was taking.

The outbreak of COVID-19 was first reported from Wuhan, China, on Dec 13, 2019, and later the disease spread to other countries. So far 162,700 cases have been reported in over 150 countries. As many as 6,069 deaths have been reported and 76,219 patients have recovered.

The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people but can be severe in some cases, especially old people and people with existing health problems. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may need six weeks to recover.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2020