ISLAMABAD, March 27: The government has established a Command and Control Center to ensure effective coordination among the federal and provincial governments on control of COVID-19 pandemic.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said this on Friday, adding the facility would work under National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
“The provinces have been asked to nominate their representatives so that they can work in tandem through a standardized mechanism,” the foreign minister further said. He said the National Coordination Committee also decided to put in place protective measures for health worker who remained a front-line defence during the challenge of Coronavirus. The decisions in this regard include improvement in testing facility and purchase of new PCR machines – also known as thermal cycler most commonly used to amplify segments of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction.
He said keeping a balance between lockdown and provision of basic necessities of life to public was stressed in the meeting.
Qureshi said issuing mere notifications barring congregational Friday prayers at mosques is not enough, rather convincing public to maintain social distancing is more important. He pointed out that when the Sindh government last Friday put a ban on gathering at mosques, the people instead assembled at roads to offer prayers.
He said the Saudi government had sent a letter to Pakistan’s Ministry for Religious Affairs, urging halt of arrangements for Hajj in view of spike in coronavirus, though a final decision on Hajj is yet to be taken.
Earlier, chairing a high-level meeting on COVID-19 here at Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said fight against coronavirus needed a persistent approach to stop its spread in the country. – TLTP
