Coronavirus outbreak: CM Buzdar says Punjab govt ready to battle coronavirus

LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Tuesday reiterated once again that the provincial government had neither imposed a lockdown nor a curfew in the province, saying that the health department was ready to battle the coronavirus. 

The chief minister was addressing a news conference via video link with senior members of the provincial cabinet. In response to a question, CM Buzdar said that hospitals across the province were ready to deal with the pandemic. 

"Our health department is ready to tackle the coronavirus," he said. "We have issued directives to the health department to buy equipment needed to battle the coronavirus."

The chief minister announced that local elections in the province have been delayed for nine months owing to the pandemic. He said that the government was focused on ensuring the poor were looked after as long as the pandemic lasted. 

"I want to make it clear that this is not a curfew or a lockdown, as you can read in the notification," he said. "We want to make sure the poor and the daily wage earners are looked after."

In response to a question about mosques being open throughout the province, the chief minister said that the government has issued advisories for mosques and places of worship.