By Mukhtar Alam:

The Sindh health authorities, late on March 30, confirmed new Coronavirus infections in 31 members of a tableeghi jamat in Hyderabad, which took the overall tally of the infection in Sindh to 526, with six relevant deaths since February 26 when the first patient of COVID-19 was detected in the province.

According to the earlier reports, about 250 people including foreign nationals were staying in a mosque in Hyderabad, which was later declared a corona quarantine place as one of the foreign nationals tested positive for corona.

Earlier, about 20 of the people staying in the mosque were shifted to another quarantine center established in Latifabad.

According to official data updated at 2245 PST, with the latest detection of positive cases, the total number of corona infected people in Hyderabad reached 43. Karachi and Jacobabad reported 27 and one new cases, respectively, on March 30.

According to the government data, 265 of the pilgrims from Iran in Sukkur have so far been found infected with the virus. Similarly, seven pilgrims from Iran were found corona positive in Larkana.

“Of the 294 positive cases reported from Karachi, Dadu, Hyderabad, and Jacobabad, 236 acquired the infection locally, while the remaining were believed to having acquired the diseases during their foreign visits,” an official disclosed.

Earlier, during the day the Sindh health minister, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed the last of the six corona related deaths in Sindh, a woman of 63.

She, in a statement, said that the deceased woman was a resident of Karachi, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 two days back.

“The patient, who returned from Saudi Arabia about 10 days back, had a history of acute respiratory distress syndrome,” she added, saying the death brought the total number of deaths in Sindh to six.

Pakistan has so far reported 1,171 corona positive cases.

According to the Health Minister of Punjab Dr. Yasmin Rashid, her province had so far tested 14,570 people, out of which 642 (4.40 %) were found corona positive, with 9 deaths.

She told a TV channel that her province has decided to intensify the testing activity and soon will be able to test samples from 3,000 people for corona infection every day.

In the meantime, Sindh minister for Anti-Corruption and Industries & Commerce and Cooperative Department, Jam Ikramuallah Dharejo, has said that the Sindh government has not yet decided to impose curfew in the wake of Coronavirus crisis.

Urging the people to stay at their homes, however, he said that if the people did not follow the lockdown policy, the government will have no other option but to make a compulsory curfew decision.

In his interaction with media persons in his office on March 30, the minister said that no case Coronavirus had been reported in Ghotki district till now.

He further said that the government was going to provide ration to the daily earners soon.

In a statement, Sindh Minister for Information, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, has said that the government could not control the spread of the Coronavirus without the cooperation of the people.

He said that the government was considering various options to provide ration and cash to people belonging to the working class, especially the daily wagers, and various possible measures were in the final stages of implementation.

“In this regard, the Sindh government is also launching a mobile registration system, through which all needy people would be registered first and then after verification, the cash would be transferred to them through mobile cash transfer service,” he added.