Sindh minister warns of curfew if lockdown orders violated

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has warned on imposing a curfew if the government’s instructions issued to control the spread of the coronavirus were not being taken seriously.

The provincial minister said the government was left with no choice but to impose the lockdown, but warned that the restrictions can be tightened if people keep coming out of their home unnecessarily and do adhere to the directives.

He said that controlling the spread of the coronavirus was not only limited to Pakistan but rather the whole world had been affected by the pandemic, adding that all countries were taking extreme and drastic measures.

He further said that the government fully understood the problems of the people and that all the government functionaries were constantly working to lessen their problems. He added that people should also understand the government was completely helpless and was trying its best to curb the spread of the coronavirus but at the same time required the full cooperation of the people.

He also said that Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had also constituted a committee which would supervise the provision of financial assistance as well as rations to the needy people. The committee comprised of Sindh Minister for Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi, and the Coordinator to the Chief Minister Sindh Haris Gazdar.

He said the chief minister had also asked welfare organisations to continue their work. He thanked those following government’s health advisory and were staying at their homes. He requested people to stay in their homes and urged the elders to instruct their children to play at home instead of playing in the streets until the pandemic is finally over.