Dr Zafar Mirza confirms 28 coronavirus cases in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza announced Friday that there were 28 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, with the seven new cases emerging in Taftan.

"Twenty-eight persons have been infected with the novel coronavirus in Pakistan," said Dr Zafar Mirza during a news conference. "All seven patients in Taftan have been kept in isolation. A mobile laboratory has been established in Taftan," he added. 

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The prime minister's special assistant said that a National Coordination Committee will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss measures to tackle the virus. "There is a need to take decisions on a national level regarding the coronavirus," he said. 

He said that the government had decided to open only three airports for international flights. "International flights will be operated only through Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports," he said. 

Dr Mirza said that public gatherings have been banned throughout the country as "nothing was more important for the government than the public's safety". 

He revealed that the government had decided to ban events at wedding halls for two weeks. Dr Mirza announced that cinema halls and theatres will also remain closed for two weeks as the government continues to grapple with the spread of the infection. 

Read more: Coronavirus outbreak under control in Pakistan: Qureshi

The senior government official said that all educational institutions, both public and private, were being closed from tomorrow throughout the country. 

"The federal minister for religious affairs will decide on matters pertaining to religious gatherings," he said. 

He said that the government would contact the chief justice to decide on whether courts and kutcheris should keep on functioning or not. "We request the civil courts to postpone hearings for three weeks," he said. "We will also request judicial magistrates and sessions court judges to go to jails and make decisions on remands and bails there."