Sindh chief minister wants lockdown extended until April 21
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah wants the lockdown imposed across the province to be extended until April 21 after the number of coronavirus cases spiked.
In a conversation with senior journalists on Thursday he said that extension of the lockdown was difficult due to the policies of the federal government.
The economy can’t be run at the expense of the lives of the people, Shah said. Prime Minister Imran Khan has argued that a lockdown will devastate the country’s economy.
On the other hand, Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho revealed that the province was left with only 6,000 coronavirus testing kits, which were likely to last for 12 days.
“We have a capacity of conducting 2,600 tests everyday,” she said. “But we are only taking 400 to 500 tests,” the minister explained, adding that the Centre should help the province with the provision of coronavirus testing kits.
A lockdown has been imposed across Pakistan as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that a decision regarding its extension or lifting will be taken on April 14.
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has ordered a complete lockdown in the province from 12pm to 3:30pm today (Friday). The decision was aimed at restricting Friday congregational prayers.
Readmore