Sindh government officers suspended for taking selfie with coronavirus patient

SUKKUR: Six Sindh government officers of the revenue department were suspended on Sunday after it came to light that they took a selfie with a coronavirus patient a few days ago. 

A notification from the office of the deputy commissioner Khairpur said that six persons were suspended for taking the selfie with a person who tested positive for coronavirus. The patient had returned from Iran. 

The deputy commissioner called on the relevant authority to quarantine the officers for 14 days as a safety precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

The development comes as new cases of the novel coronavirus continue to emerge across the province and the country. Sindh is the worst-affected province in the country with over 300 cases reported so far. 

The number of confirmed cases in Pakistan rise to 761  

The province-wide break up of cases as of 08:40pm, March 22, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 761

• Sindh: 333

• Punjab: 222

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 31

• Balochistan: 108

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 11

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 55

• AJK: 01

Deaths: 04

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 03

• Sindh: 01

Globally, 186 countries have been affected, more than 12,000 people have died and more than 300,00 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories.

The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, especially Italy, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases and deaths every day.