Despite the rising number of Coronavirus cases in Pakistan, Punjab Government has decided on the shutting down of Quarantine centres that had been previously set up to contain Corona positive individuals.
Following a change in the policy under which the suspected Covid-19 patients were earlier required to quarantine at these centres, 6 centres have already been shut down in Lahore.
Under the new policy, those arriving at Lahore and other airports from abroad are just being screened through thermal scanners rather than tested on the spot.
Mr Danish Afzal, Lahore Deputy Commissioner, justified the new policy saying, “I think at this stage it doesn’t matter if someone returns home from abroad without being tested, as our local population is already facing a fast spread of the virus.”
The DC stated that we have some 20,000 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Lahore alone, so what difference anyone returning from abroad with virus could make when a large chunk of local population was already infected. “So we have to follow and implement the government policy in this regard,” he concluded.
It was also clarified that if the need arises and the number of cases continue to increase at a steady pace, the Quarantine centres would be revived.
The quarantine centres that have been closed in Lahore include the ones at Kala Shah Kaku, Punjab University, Lahore University, Thokar Niaz Baig, Raiwind Tableeghi Markaz and Qaddafi Stadium (Nishtar Park). The Johar Town Expo Centre, which classifies as a field hospital, will continue treating the confirmed Covid-19 patients.
Previously, videos of suspected Coronavirus patients openly playing cricket in the quarantine centres were circulating on social media:
If this is the state of all the centres, what good were they doing to begin with?