Punjab to have capacity of daily 10,000 corona tests: CM Usman Buzdar

LAHORE:Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced that the province will soon achieve the capacity of conducting 10,000 coronavirus diagnostic tests daily.

He said that the establishment of eight new labs in different districts was near completion. While presiding over a meeting of assembly members from Rawalpindi at Commissioner's Office in Rawalpindi, the CM said that field hospitals had been set up in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha and other districts with a total capacity of 4,500 beds, which could also be increased to 10,000 beds, said a handout issued here.

More than 43,000 coronavirus tests had been conducted in the province so far, he said. The lockdown strategy had yielded positive results and the construction industry was being restarted under specific SOPs.

The construction of roads, hospitals and schools will be resumed in the first phase with some stipulations while the resumption of different industries will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis, he added.

He made it clear that the commissioner concerned will be empowered to ease or intensify the lockdown conditions and a procedure was also being designed to provide necessary relief to the citizens in the holy month of Ramazan.

The purpose of easing the lockdown conditions was to facilitate the general public, he maintained. Meanwhile, he stated that personal protective equipment and other materials were being arranged daily while financial aid under Insaf Imdad Programme will be provided purely on merit.

The CM said that anti-dengue campaign was being launched, adding that wheat procurement target will also be achieved. He told that out of 2,945 patients in the province, 508 had recovered and the arrangements were being made to inoculate the plasma of recovered patients in patients in severe condition.

The CM also directed the administration to devise a strategy to overcome the menace of professional beggary. The assembly members congratulated the CM on the praise of Punjab government by the apex court and said that this had proved the performance of Usman Buzdar.

Provincial Ministers Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Raja Rashid Hafeez and parliamentarians attended the meeting.Meanwhile, Usman Buzdar visited Bhakkar on Wednesday to review the steps being taken for safety from locust.

He was told that 20,000 acre land came under locusts attack and the locusts swarms had been destroyed through spray and precautionary measures over an area of 17,000 of land, said a handout issued here.

The affected area would be sprayed through a specifically designed vehicle, the CM said and directed start of the spray, adding that all the necessary resources be utilised for the purpose.

Spray would be continued till the complete removal of locusts, he added. The deputy commissioner briefed the CM that Pakistan Army Jawans and districts administration were engaged in anti-locusts activities. The CM also visited Dhanghana area in Mankira tehsil and drove his vehicle from Dhanghana to Rakh Mahni.

He also met with the local people who apprised the chief minister of their problems. The CM also announced setting up a rural health centre in Dhanghana and also announced that education facilities would be provided to the area.

Usman Buzdar announced construction of roads from Bharerri to Sher Ghar. The locals thanked the chief minister for his visit to the area. The parliamentarians, including Sananullah Mastikhel, Ghazenfar Abbas Cheena, Amir Muhammad Khan, Saeed Akbar, Amir Anayat Shehani and Afzal Khan also called on the chief minister.

The CM announced that the problems of Bhakkar district would be solved. The CM assued the nurses of Rakh Mahani DHQ Hospital that there service would regularized. -