Zubair Qureshi
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat on Thursday cautioned the public against being indifferent to coronavirus threat that is a real one and can affect large numbers if proper protocol is not observed and health guidelines not followed.
In the federal capital the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 on April 23 was 204 while three people have so far lost their lives because of the virus, he said. He feared the number of deaths could also jump in the days to come and people should be mentally prepared for that.
The Deputy Commissioner said this while addressing crime and court reporters of Islamabad and Rawalpindi at the national press club. The DC was of the view that the district administration was fully aware of the challenge and was putting in the maximum efforts to keep the virus at bay but at the same it is expected from the public that they would strengthen the district administration and health officials’ hands in fight against corona virus. “Only yesterday, on the recommendation of the District Health Office, we sealed Shah Allah Ditta and surrounding localities, a mosque and a seminary in the Sector F-7 after people living there and the adjacent areas tested positive,” said the deputy commissioner.
Tarlai, Nilore and other areas of urban Islamabad are also turning into hotspot of Covid-19 and the healthcare department is also tracing people they were in contact with during the last two weeks, he said. Those who have been traced are being tested.
On Thursday, too, we are receiving reports of Covid-19 positive cases in urban localities. The district administration in collaboration with the health department is scrutinizing those areas he said. The Deputy Commission spoke high of the Islamabad crime and court reporters association (ICCRA) saying that it was working as bridge between the public and the local administration.
Sometime, I learn about new cases of coronavirus from my media friends sooner than the official channels and it helps me a great deal in taking a quick decision/action and preventing the virus from spreading anymore, said the deputy commissioner. In the end, gift packs were also distributed among the members of the ICCRA.
