341 more test positive for covid-19 in Sindh

As many as 341 people contracted the novel coronavirus in Sindh during the last 24 hours, of which 275 were tested positive in Karachi, while four people with the COVID-19 died at different hospitals in the metropolis.

Giving details of the COVID-19 situation in the province, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said out of 2,733 tests, 341 were tested positive, which is 12.6 per cent of the tests conducted.

The health department had so far conducted 43,949 tests against which 4,956 had been positive cases, which constituted 11.2 per cent of the tests, the chief minister added.

Murad said four more patients lost their lives due to the coronavirus in Karachi, taking the total death toll to 85 in the city, which was 1.7 per cent of the total patients. He added that 24 patients were in critical condition and 16 others were already on ventilators.

At present, he said, 3,946 patients were under treatment, including 2,705 (or 68 per cent) in home isolation, 825 (or 21 per cent) at isolation centres and 416 (or 11 per cent) in different hospitals.

The chief minister said out of 341 new cases, 269 belonged to Karachi, of whom 20 were from district central, 90 from district east, 40 from district Korangi, 30 form district Malir, 50 from district South and 39 from district West.

Despite serious efforts, he added, the people living in informal settlements of the city were not observing social distancing and the cases were increasing every day.

Other districts

Khairpur has 23 cases, Larkana has 12, Hyderabad has 12, Ghotki has eight, Sukkur has four, Dadu has three, Matiari has two, while Jacobabd, Umerkot and Du have one each.

Relief ordinance

The Sindh government has proposed an ordinance to mitigate the challenges emanating from the province-wide lockdown and to put in place all necessary measures to help respond to the coronavirus affectees by providing them relief.

The Sindh COVID-19 Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020 would provide the prevention of eviction in the private rented and social sector, for the time being, giving relief to domestic residential and commercial tenants, employees and daily-wages workers; extending deadlines associated with responding to the school fee, rent and utility charges, conduct of trial or indictment and extension of the period for performance of duties by the court or an office, a statement said.