Security heightened at Pak borders: Govt tells SC

Islamabad, April 13 (IANS) The Pakistan government has apprised the Supreme Court that security measures at Taftan, Chaman and Torkham borders have been strengthened, extra staff has been deployed and emergency declared in the border areas of Balochistan with Iran in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic."Special counters have been established at all major International airports of Pakistan," according to a progress report submitted to the apex court by the federal government on Sunday in a suo motu case regarding preventive measures for COVID-19."All passengers are required to fill mandatory health declaration forms before landing in Pakistan. Two hundred and seven hospitals in all major cities and 154 districts of Pakistan have been identified for isolation of suspected patients and their isolation capacity has been increased," The Express Tribune quoted the report as saying.It is also stated that standard operating procedures and guidelines were being regularly updated and developed in consultation with the provinces and leading epidemiological experts.To facilitate and ease the import of essential equipment and supplies, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination has been fully engaged with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to facilitate waivers on 61 items.The development comes as the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has increased to 5,362, with 93 deaths.
--IANS ksk/