Staff Reporter
Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi visited Jinnah International Airport on Wednesday to review the process of coronavirus screening. The health minister instructed airport authorities to set up screening desks outside the lounge to screen passengers as soon as they step out of the plane. The health department announced on Tuesday that it would be setting up its own desk and conducting screening at the Karachi airport. All people coming to Karachi will be screened. The screening was being carried out by the federal government earlier. In a press conference on Wednesday, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said the federal government needs to improve its coronavirus monitoring and surveillance at the airport. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday that all coronavirus cases in the province are imported. There’s no evidence of community spread yet, he said. Sindh has reported 16 cases so far, 15 in Karachi and one in Hyderabad. All patients had a travel history to one of three countries: Iran, Syria and the UK, with transit stops in Qatar or Dubai. The Sindh health department had suggested banning large public gatherings and keeping schools in the province closed for a longer period of time.
