KARACHI: The Sindh government on Tuesday said that the number of Covid-19 patients was decreasing in the province but advised the people not to abandon precautionary measures and made it clear that schools would not be allowed to open from Aug 15.

Chief Minister’s Law Adviser and Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the spread of coronavirus was being controlled with the cooperation of the people of Sindh and this was possible due to a better policy of the provincial government.

Speaking at a press conference at the auditorium of the Sindh Assembly, he said that many people were trying to take credit for this but the reality was in front of everyone. “The Sindh government’s strategy to curb the spread of coronavirus has been successful.”

Presenting the statistics of the people infected with the coronavirus, he said that in Sindh till July 21, the number of coronavirus cases was 113,000 while the number in other provinces was very low.

He said that 450,000 tests had been conducted in Sindh while Punjab despite having a much larger population than Sindh conducted just 400,000 tests.

Murtaza Wahab says number of Covid-19 patients in province decreasing but coronavirus is still a threat

“Sindh also has a high recovery rate among patients infected with the coronavirus. Eighty-two per cent of patients have recovered in Sindh, while the number is much lower in Punjab and other provinces,” he added.

He said that the death rate of patients in Sindh was also lower than other provinces. “Blaming won’t do anything. Statistics show that the Sindh government’s strategy regarding corona has been successful.”

Schools won’t open from Aug 15

About the announcement of some private schools associations regarding opening schools from Aug15, the adviser declared: “No school will be opened in Sindh from August 15.

“We will not compromise on children’s health nor we will allow the private school administration to do so,” he said.

He said that no matter how much testing was being done in Sindh, the rate of positive patients was decreasing.

“In the meantime, we have further improved our capacity and isolation centres,” he said.

Barrister Wahab said that the impression that coronavirus was no more a threat was wrong as new patients were still emerging.

“We should not lose sight of the precautionary measures,” he said, adding: “If precaution is not taken then cases may increase. The health department is conducting free tests for citizens. If any person has any symptom, they must get tested. The Sindh government is going to enact legislation regarding coronavirus.”

Talking about political issues, he said that “the virus of PTI corruption is spreading rapidly in the country”.

He said that Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was exposing the corruption of the ruling party at the centre.

‘Why NAB not calling PM in sugar scandal?’

He said that in practice PTI was deviating from its slogan and following two Pakistans. “There is a separate law for the opposition and a separate law for the ruling party.”

He said that in the two years of PTI government multiple scandals relating to sugar, wheat and medicine came to light. “These crises are deliberately created. In the past, the PTI was talking about [reducing] taxes on petroleum products. Now look at the tax rates. Prices of petroleum products have skyrocketed.”

Barrister Wahab said that the National Accountability Bureau called opposition leaders every day but why the prime minister was not being called in the sugar scandal.

He said that a recent decision of the Supreme Court said that NAB was being used for political purposes. “We have been saying this for a long time that one should be arrested if found guilty, but Imran Khan is not called from the Prime Minister’s House or Banigala.”

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2020