Govt will not evacuate Pakistanis from China, coronavirus

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said in a press conference today that the government will not be evacuating any Pakistani’s from China for fear of spreading coronavirus here as well.

He said that Pakistan will demonstrate responsible behavior and not play a part in spreading the virus further and that it was in the larger interest of the region.

Recently four Pakistani students in China were diagnosed with Coronavirus.

Dr Zafar Mirza said that the Pakistan government had complete faith in the Chinese government for handling the situation and will not be going against the directions of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese government’s decision.

He said in his statement:

We don’t want to take any emotional decision which will cause this virus to spread further,

further adding:

It is also our responsibility to ensure that our citizens in Wuhan are being properly taken care of and see to it whether they are being provided food or items of daily use or not,

Dr Zafar Mirza said that the Pakistani Embassy in China was working closely with the government and providing timely information about the citizens in Wuhan city.

The decision to not evacuate the Pakistani students doesn’t mean that the government doesn’t care about them according to SAPM. He says that the government is making sure that the Pakistani students are being taken care of in proper way saying:

I can show you many messages from Pakistani students in Wuhan who have told us that Chinese authorities are taking very good care of them,

As of now the number of Pakistani students infected remains at four and hasn’t risen.

According to SAPM, a Coronavirus Core Committee has been established and includes the top health professionals in the country to tackle with the situation and provide proper recommendations.

Currently there is not a single person in Pakistan who has been infected with Coronavirus and the government plans to keep it that way.

Proper screenings and precautions are to take place at all entry and exit points to make sure nobody passes through that might be carrying the virus.

Follow INCPAK on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram for updates.