KP govt conducts screening of all Chinese nationals

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has conducted screening of all the Chinese nationals at camps established at different places in the province.

The PTI-led provincial government has also established a helpline to deal with the coronavirus epidemic in the province. KP Information Minister Ajmal Wazir said that the people should keep in touch with the government with regard to the coronavirus-related emergencies.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, the minister said “The most critical role regarding the coronavirus is to be played by the media,” adding that there is no need to panic. Ajmal Wazir said that the KP government had conducted the screening of the Chinese people in the province and kept them for 14 days under observation at different camps inside the province.

However, the minister did not reveal further details regarding the screening of the Chinese nationals. He said that a province-wide emergency had already been declared and the educational institutions are closed for 15 days, and the hostels are closed until April 15. For the sake of people’s safety, the minister said the KP government had banned the gathering of more than 50 people in one place.

He said that the KP government had taken steps before the cabinet’s decisions, adding that all the concerned departments are working 24/7 and “We’ve decided to launch an awareness campaign on the media.” He said that KP Assembly’s session that was scheduled for March 30 has also been postponed.

“The Army is already deployed at the airport for screening the incoming passengers and we’ve deployed rapid response teams across the province,” Wazir said and added that a free helpline 1700 has also been set up for the people to contact for corona emergency.

The minister said that as many as 1,200 beds have been prepared for the infected patients, adding that “20 hospitals have been reserved for the purpose.”