Reopening of educational institutions too big a risk until virus flattened

By Tanzeel Rauf Farooqui
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Over the past few days, we have witnessed disagreements between the Sindh government and the All Private Schools and Colleges Association, Sindh.

The Minister for Education, Sindh, Saeed Ghani withdrew the earlier announcement of the department for opening educational institutions from June 1 due to the constant and arguably increasing threat of the Coronavirus. 

The spokesman for the provincial government, Barrister Murtaza Wahab pointed out that 1,128 cases of coronavirus were of children below the age of 10 in Sindh, which shows that curve of the virus has unfortunately not flattened yet. 

However, the All Private Schools and Colleges Association Sindh’s chief has demanded for the schools to be allowed to be reopened from June 15. 

He has contended that the implementation of the SOPs of the government did not require any rocket science and further went on to say that sanitizers, disinfectants, thermal guns and face masks could be arranged in every school and college.

It is the bitter truth that due to the closure of the educational institutions, not only are children were suffering from acquiring education but so were the employees of the educational institutions who also faced prospects of unemployment. 

However, as citizens of a developing country, all of us know that it is arguably next to impossible for every educational institution across the province of Sindh to effectively implement the SOPs put forth by the government. 

Here we arrive at the harsh reality in deciding whether to prevent our children from contracting the cureless virus or to save the jobs of the employees associated with the schools and an academic year of the students. 

Tough times call for tough decisions and necessity warrants that educational institutions should remain closed until the curve of coronavirus was flattened in order to ensure not only the safety of our children but also to successfully eradicate the novel coronavirus from the province.

Coronavirus Update: High alert, apprehensive forecast

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Amidst government’s apprehension of increased COVID-19 infections and deaths in the coming two to four weeks, Sindh witnessed a stable rate of new infections on June 14 when the health authorities registered another 2,287 positive cases across the province, with 15 relevant deaths. 

According to the health department’s data, Sindh’s new infection rate came as 20.42% on June 14, against 20.78% on June 13, 21.38% on June 12. The provincial trends of positivity among the daily tested and positive samples was relatively lower than that of the national.

Sindh’s there-day rolling average of Covid-19 came as 20.86%, against the national average of 22.54%. 

Keen observers reckoned that Sindh’s daily positive tested cases have been on the higher side in recent days due to increased testing of the suspect cases and the province needed to significantly decrease its positive cases through full compliance of the government’s advisories and conditions relevant to coronavirus containment in both the rural and urban areas. 

In the meantime, the planning, development and special initiatives minister, Asad Umar, who is also chairman of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on coronavirus at a press conference at Islamabad on June 14, warned that the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus could double by the end of this month and reach one to 1.2 million by the end of July. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his daily statement on coronavirus, informed that Sindh had registered a total 53,805 cases, out of 298,332 tests across the province. As many as 27,368 patients are still under treatment at homes, hospitals and isolation centres, while 573 in critical condition and 80 were on ventilators, he added.

According to an official report, as of June 14 there were 202 patients in the intensive care units of 19 public and private hospitals, while another 295 were admitted at the high dependency units of 20 hospitals, in Karachi. 

The Sindh health department’s COVID-19 summary, updated on June 14, revealed that 2,287 samples were tested positive for the virus, out of 11,197 samples during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am. 

Karachi, as usual, reported the highest number of cases, 1,891, followed by Sukkur (68), Khairpur (49), Hyderabad (44), Ghotki (40), Matiari (36), Shaheed Benazirabad (33), Sanghar (19), Mirpurkhas (15), Kashmore (14), Larkana (13), Jamshoro (13), Sujawal (10), Shikarpur (8), Thatta (8), Dadu (7), Naushero Feroze (4), Badin (4), Kambar Shahdadkot (3), Umerkot (3), Tando Muhammad Khan (2) and Jacobabad (2). 

In addition, nine men and four women died at Karachi due to COVID-19, followed by Hyderabad (two) taking the death tally to 831 for the province.

At Karachi, men who lost their lives were in the age brackets of 30 to 75, while women aged from 48 to 73 years. Hyderabad reported death of a man (49 years) and a woman (63 years). 

The Sindh health department did not provide any information either about hospitals where the ill-fated people died or medical history of the patients. 

However, another official report revealed that as many as 653 patients died at different hospitals across the province, including AKUH (75), CHK (68), GIMS (13), Indus Hospital Korangi (64), JPMC (98), LUMHS (19), Lyari General Hospital (17), DUHS (79), PNS Shifa (15), SIUT (88), South City Hospital (8), Karachi Trauma Centre (10), Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, (41), NICVD (7), Liaquat National Hospital (8), Patel Hospital (5) and others. 

It was further learnt that the 23 patients who died on June 13, included 4 patients who died at home, while another two died off ventilators. 

In the meantime, a national coronavirus high alert said that Pakistan was projected to have overall 300,000 CIVID-19 cases and 5,000 deaths by June 30, if social distancing and SOPs were not ensured.

Strict measures enforced in Beijing as more COVID-19 cases reported

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Eight more COVID-19 cases were detected in Beijing as of 7 am on June 14, all linked to the city's Xinfadi market. It has brought the total number of new cases in Beijing since June 11 to 51. Beijing had reported zero local transmissions for 56 days before June 11. 

The deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Pang Xinghuo, shared details with the media at a press conference later in the evening. 

Xinfadi, a large wholesale market that sells fruits, vegetables and meat, is located in Beijing's Fengtai District and it has been caught in the spotlight after a new coronavirus cluster having been linked to it. 

So far, at least six districts in Beijing have reported confirmed cases, with Fengtai being the hardest hit with 37 cases. The other districts included Xicheng, Fangshan, Daxing, Haidian and Chaoyang. 

Following the new cluster, Beijing has adjusted its public health emergency response back to level 2 for all communities in Fengtai District on June 14. 

Speaking at the media briefing, the official revealed that 8,186 swab samples had been collected from people who worked at or have been to the market, out of which 5,803 have tested negative for the virus so far The Fengtai authorities also pledged to test all 46,000 residents living near the market. 

11 communities near the market have activated closed-off management, meaning no one is allowed to enter or exit, since June 13. 

Meanwhile, round-the-clock personnel were dispatched to all Fengtai communities to check temperatures, inspect and verify health codes, ensure people were not gathering in large groups and monitor the health of residents.

According to the district official, as of 3 pm on June 14, as many as 394 people who came into close contact with people confirmed to have the virus have been traced, 111 of them have been placed in group quarantine. The rest, who were now observing home isolation, will be moved into centralized quarantine. 

Eleven hotels in Fengtai with 1,000 room capacity will be allocated for quarantine use, the official said. 10 regions in four districts in Beijing have upgraded their COVID-19 risk level since June 13. Huaxiang town in Fengtai was now the only high-risk area in China after the risk level in the region was moved up to the highest on June 14.

Karakoram Highway realignment in full swing

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The construction of one of the tunnels for realignment of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) is in full swing ensuring smooth flow of traffic and easy access for the people of Pakistan and China. 

Both Chinese and Pakistani engineers have been busy these days, engaged in the construction of K-3 tunnel, as a part of realignment of the KKH, one of the wonders of the world

The KKH realignment was initiated in 2015. The 24-kilometre stretch of KKH alongside the lake in Hunza Valley includes five seven-kilometer-long Pak-China Friendship Tunnels, two big and 78 small bridges.