Police across Sindh arrested 472 people for violating the province-wide lockdown on the first day, according to a report on Monday, after the PPP government had taken preventive measures against the coronavirus pandemic. Analysts believe that non-cooperative behavior of the people forced the government to take stern action since the virus is spreading across the country.
472 People Arrested ⚠️ During the First Day of Lockdown ⛔ in Sindh 🇵🇰 More Details : https://t.co/ncHpbKrvEV pic.twitter.com/qHIMLM9O1c
— DEKHLO (@DekhloPK) March 23, 2020
The number of confirmed cases in Pakistan rose to 882 on Monday after new cases were reported in Gilgit Baltistan. Globally, 192 countries have been affected, more than 14,000 people have died and more than 337,00 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories.
Read more: Apocalyptic chaos in Sukkur: Coronavirus patients escape quarantine center
The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, especially Italy, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases and deaths every day.
Across Sindh, the report said six violators were arrested in Mirpur Khas, eight in Sukkur, and 236 in Larkana, while 222 people were detained in Karachi.
Lockdown to contain coronavirus: 472 arrested, 72 cases registed in Sindh#TheNews https://t.co/Z9wjFqdnKx
— The News (@thenews_intl) March 23, 2020
According to the break-down, 16 people were detained in District South, 60 in East, and one in the West. Separately, a total of 72 cases were registered across the province. In Karachi, 33 cases were registered, whereas two in Mirpurkhas, one in Sukkur, and 36 in Larkana.
In Karachi, the report said 13 cases were registered in District South, 19 in East, and one in the West.
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The government of Sindh had imposed lockdown effective March 23 as Pakistan continued to report cases of coronavirus. As of reporting, the number of confirmed cases had surpassed 850.
Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani, who himself contracted the virus yesterday, had said violators of the lockdown would be arrested by authorities under Section 144 and may be sent to jail.
سعید غنی بھی کورونا وائرس کا شکار، اس کیس کی دو لحاظ سے بہت اہمیت ہے 1) انہیں پاکستان سے ہوا باہر کا سفر نہیں کیا 2) کورونا کے مریضوں والی کوئی علامت بھی نہیں
اسوقت کتنے لوکل کیسز ہیں اور ایسے مریضوں کی کتنی تعداد ہیں جن میں علامات نہیں تھیں؟ پڑھیئے 👇 https://t.co/40DMaMDCY7— Umar Cheema (@UmarCheema1) March 24, 2020
It is worth noting that Pakistan temporarily halted all international incoming and outgoing flights Saturday to try to curtail the spread of coronavirus as the national tally of confirmed infections grew to nearly 700, including three deaths.
Top government officials made the announcement at a news conference in Islamabad, noting the number of suspected patients had increased to more than 4,000 with around 3,400 under quarantine. The two-week air traffic suspension covered passenger, charter and private flights but not those transporting cargo or diplomats, said Moeed Yusuf, an aide to the Pakistani prime minister on national security.
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“We are aware of the difficulties this decision will create for roughly 200,000 passengers, a majority of them Pakistanis, who were due to arrive in Pakistan in the next two weeks,” Yusuf told reporters in Islamabad. The government was making tough decisions as part of an all-out effort to ensure the safety and security of its people in the face of the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, he stressed.
Both the federal and provincial governments are attempting to deal with Coronavirus. however, Prime Minister Imran Khan and several experts have already said that unless the people cooperate with authorities nothing is going to be contained.