CM Sindh’s close relative diagnosed with coronavirus

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s brother-in-law has reportedly been tested positive for novel coronavirus in Karachi.

The chief minister’s close relative Syed Mehdi Shah had traveled to Iran and returned to Pakistan two days ago. He has been admitted to an isolation ward of a private hospital. He was among nine persons who tested positive for coronavirus in Sindh on Monday.

At least nine new confirmed cases of Covid-19 surfaced in Karachi on Monday, pushing the total number of cases to 13 in Sindh and 16 in Pakistan. Two new cases were reported on Tuesday including one in Hyderabad.

The person who tested positive for the disease in Hyderabad had flown from Syria via Doha, while the Karachi coronavirus patient had returned from Dubai.

A spokesperson for the Sindh Health Department said five of the eight people who tested positive for the disease had flown back from Syria via Doha while the rest had returned from London via Dubai.

Two passengers were shifted to the isolation ward of a hospital upon arrival at the Karachi airport on Monday after they showed symptoms of coronavirus. The passenger arrived from Duba while another returned from Muscat. During their screening, they reported flu, fever and cough upon which they were shifted to the isolation ward of the Dow University Hospital Ojha campus.

An emergency meeting of the provincial health department on Tuesday recommended closure of educational institutions amid emergence of nine new cases of novel coronavirus in Karachi.

The meeting chaired by Health Minister of Sindh Azra Pechuho has also decided to issue an advisory for ban on gathering at public places and immediately setting up coronavirus information desks at all hospitals across the province.

Sindh’s Health department has also banned the entry of general public in the offices of the department, situated at Sindh Secretariat building, as preventive measure to deal with the spread of coronavirus. The general public has been barred from entering the office and only staff of the department will be allowed to enter the premises.

However, the Sindh government once again ruled out moving Pakistan Super League season five (PSL 5) games out of Karachi amid fears of the coronavirus.

Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that PSL 5 matches scheduled in Karachi will continue as planned and all necessary measures were taken to curb the spread of coronavirus in the province.