Punjab may end Lock Down in 2 weeks : Usman Buzdar

Lahore : Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that government is fully aware about the problems of labourers, therefore, the federal government is being recommended to open up the industries and business.

The Chief Minister while addressing a press conference through video link, at CM Office today, said that Punjab government is presenting its recommendations to the federal government for relaxing the lock down which will be decided in the meeting of the National Coordination Committee.

Usman Buzdar said that we have requested the federal government that construction-related industries including building and road sector should be allowed to work.

Similarly, the recommendation has been presented for opening the feeding industry related to the export sector. The request has been made to open power looms and all such factories, which have their own labour colonies inside their premises. It has also been recommended to open the iron and steel industry as well as the home appliances industry.

The Chief Minister said that recommendations have been submitted to the federal government for opening the markets and bazaars in different days by dividing them into zones throughout the province. This decision will be taken with the consultation of district administration, trader’s unions, chamber of commerce and industry and other stakeholders.

The Chief Minister stated that Smart Sampling is being started from the six districts of the province, initially, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Faisalabad. Under Smart Sampling, corona tests will be conducted of workers of media houses, officials of law enforcement agencies, offices of administrative officers, health workers, TB and HIV patients, pregnant women in the hospitals and the prisoners of jails.

He said that sampling at a larger scale will help the government to review the spread of coronavirus in the community. In the II-Phase, under random sampling, samples would be collected in census block. Usman Buzdar said that 8 BSLIII labs have been made functional in Punjab at a cost of Rs 62 crore, now six thousand corona tests could be conducted on daily basis. Last day Punjab took 3700 tests. There is no shortage of corona testing kits, PPEs and beds in Punjab, he added.

Usman Buzdar said that daily thousands of Pakistanis are coming back from abroad through different flights and they have been properly looked after in hotels and other quarantine centres according to SOPs. People from other provinces coming from abroad will be sent to their respective provinces from the airports after informing their provincial governments. People from Punjab will be sent to their respective district and will allow to go to their homes within 48 hours if their corona test will come negative.

He said that inquiry is being conducted on the complaint of Pakistanis came from abroad and was kept in quarantine. He said that the Punjab government has formulated SOPs in this regard. He said that quarantine will be allowed at homes as well after implementing on these SOPs and recommendation has been presented to federal government in this regard.

In response to a question, the Chief Minister replied that instructions of holding an inquiry regarding alleged mismanagement in the Expo centre has been given and soon its report will be received. The government is standing with the corona patients and no one will be allowed to misbehave with them.

The Chief Minister said that so far there are 6850 confirm corona patients in Punjab, whereas 115 people have lost their lives due to this pandemic. He further disclosed that approximately 90 thousand corona tests have been conducted, so far. He said that it is a matter of satisfaction that 2206 people have recovered and gone back to their homes. He said that 90 percent of people from devotees and Tableeghi jamat who were kept in quarantine have also gone back to their homes after complete recovery.

The Chief Minister said that under Ehaas Kafalat Program 34 billion rupees have so far been distributed among 28 lac families and the process of assistance is still continue. He said that under Insaaf Imad package financial assistance of Rs12000 per family will be distributed among 25 lac families from next week.

Moreover, under Ramzan package financial assistance of Rs 3000 per family will be given away to 10 lac destitute families. He said that this lockdown has badly affected poor, labourers and daily wager segment of the society across the province and the government is fully aware of their difficulties and we are determined to redress their grievances.

In response to a question, the CM informed that meeting of Cabinet Committee for Corona Control takes place on a daily basis in which decisions will be taken according to the situation. He said that an additional salary will be given to all those who are working to deal with the corona pandemic. He said that there is smart lockdown in Punjab and we want to alleviate the hardships of poor men , therefore, instructions have been given to crackdown against profiteers and hoarders in the province.

Provincial Ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Aslam Iqbal also gave answer to journalist’s questions. Provincial Ministers Raja Basharat, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hashim Jawan Bakht, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan, Chief Secretary, IGP and concerned authorities were present on the occasion.