By Muhammad Luqman
No Pakistani will be allowed to travel back to the country from China till they complete a 14-day observation period, announced Dr. Zafar Mirza , Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in the capital, Islamabad , the Special Assistant said that the agreement in this regard had been finalised in a meeting held with the Chinese envoy in Pakistan.
Mirza said that the policy is being implemented after China declared that no Chinese citizen will be allowed to travel abroad till the completion of the 14-day observation period.
196b/ We don’t want to evacuate just copying few other countries. Around 100 other countries are not evacuating their citizens from Wuhan/China. Good public health practice, larger interest of our people and safety of the world r our key considerations.
— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) February 2, 2020
“Those declared free of the virus after the period will be issued with a certificate that assures the airport officials that they are free from the disease,” Mirza said.
“Through this one measure we have ensured Pakistan remains free from the disease. Because our case definition says that travelling and staying in China is an important factor [behind the spread of the disease],” said the SAPM.
Dr Mirza stated that If Pakistan was able to control the disease in Pakistanis present in China, then it has secured the country from the disease, according to the information that doctors have at this point.
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Dr Mirza also said that Pakistan will soon receive the health kits which would allow the country to detect the virus. “From tomorrow or today we will start carrying out tests to determine the coronavirus,” said Dr Mirza.
Dr Mirza also shared that from today onwards the government will launch an awareness campaign on electronic media regarding the disease. He shared that the campaign will explain the origins of the disease and also advise the people on the precautionary measures to be taken by people regarding the disease.
“Chairman Pemra has reached out to all the TV channels. Through public service messaging, we will brief the public,” said Dr Mirza. He said the government was hoping that through the campaign the people will get to know the basics of the virus.
Dr Mirza also reiterated once again that Pakistan was yet to detect the first case of the virus in the country. While giving the update on the four Pakistani students diagnosed with the disease, Dr Mirza said that the students were being kept under observation.
He added that the early detection of the disease also helped the students. SAPM had announced on Wednesday that four Pakistani students in China were tested positive for the coronavirus.
The SAPM, however, refused to share the names of the affected students with the media. “The government will take good care of the students who have contracted the virus,” he said at the presser.
