RAWALPINDI: The inauguration of the Spring Festival has been moved from Race Course Park to Allama Iqbal Park after cantonment authorities refused to hold the event in their jurisdiction fearing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The inauguration and closing ceremonies will now be held at Allama Iqbal Park – previously known as Nawaz Sharif Park – because the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has decided not to postpone its event.

A senior Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) official told Dawn that the federal government has asked civic authorities to take safety measures for the coronavirus, in light of which the cantonment authorities decided to halt a public gathering in Race Course Park.

The original plan was for the PHA, district administration and cantonment authorities to kick off the three-day festival together, he said. The inauguration was to be held in Race Course Park and the closing ceremony in Allama Iqbal Park in Shamsabad.

Cantonment authorities refused to hold festival opening in their jurisdiction

The official said that the RCB is under the federal government’s administrative control and would implement its standard operating procedures (SOP). The provincial government, he said, has a different opinion.

A senior PHA official objected to the cantonment board’s decision, saying the federal government has not halted any public gatherings. He said religious parties’ haya march and the Aurat Azadi March were both held in Islamabad on March 8 while Pakistan Super League matches have been continuing in Rawalpindi.

He said the cantonment authorities have given an incorrect perception and the PHA has contacted the federal government in this regard. There have not been any coronavirus patients reported in Rawalpindi city, the cantonment areas or in the Potohar region so far, he said.

RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Sibtain Raza confirmed that the festival’s inauguration at Race Course Park was cancelled to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

He said a decision was made in view of the federal government’s directives to avoid large public gatherings.

Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister on Tourism and Horticulture Mohammad Asif told Dawn that the provincial government asked the PHA to make arrangements for the festival to go ahead as scheduled.

However, he said, the venue for the inauguration ceremony has been changed to Allama Iqbal Park. He said the schedule remained unchanged because Punjab is safer with regards to the coronavirus due to effective measures taken by the government.

He said he contacted the federal government through the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, and they made it clear that the government has not banned public gatherings. Mr Asif said the government has directed district administrations to make arrangements to people can take precautionary measures.

Coronavirus quarantine ward set up in RIU

The district administration has arranged a 100-bed ward in the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology to deal with suspected cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus first reported in Wuhan, China, at the end of last year.

The administration has also asked educational institutions and the district health authority to begin an awareness campaign on precautionary measures in this regard.

Deputy Commissioner retired Capt Anwarul Haq told Dawn that a filter clinic has been set up at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) while a quarantine location has been established at RIU to deal with any cases, if reported.

He said the Punjab government has given SOPs to deal with COVID-19 patients and asked district administrations across the province to launch awareness campaigns.

He said there is no ban on public gatherings as the government does not want to create panic. If a suspected case arrives in BBH, it is reported directly to the Punjab health department, he added. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is providing coronavirus testing services.

He said there have been suspected patients arriving in the last week, but no confirmed cases have been reported.

A person who tests positive for COVID-19 cannot be hidden as the results are compiled by the NIH, he said.

“Rawalpindi is comparatively safe as all the passengers from abroad are screened through scanning machines in airport,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2020