Karachi to continue with PSL matches despite surge in coronavirus

KARACHI: Rejecting a proposal of the provincial health department, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday decided to proceed with the Pakistan Super League matches in Karachi, a seaside Pakistani metropolis which has reported the majority of the country’s 18 coronavirus cases.
Five matches of Pakistan’s premier cricket league, starting Thursday, are scheduled to be held at Karachi’s national stadium.
A spokesperson of the health department told Arab News on Tuesday morning that officials from her unit had recommended cancelation of PSL matches and asked the authorities to extend the closure of schools for a longer period due to the surge of coronavirus.
“The PSL matches are already scheduled in the city and will be held,” a handout issued from the CM House quoted the chief minister as saying. The handout also added that Shah had directed the chief secretary and IG police to make necessary arrangements to hold the matches as per schedule.
“I want you to issue an advisory for the spectators,” the chief minister asked the relevant authorities, urging them to hold a meeting with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and discuss precautionary measures.
He also urged to install hand sanitizers at the stadium and advise people, who recently returned from Iran, not to visit the ground.
Addressing the meeting, Shah said that so far 15 cases of coronavirus had been diagnosed in Sindh, adding that all of these individuals contracted the virus while traveling abroad.
“It means we will have to be more cautious in checking the passengers coming from Iran, Afghanistan, Italy and such other countries at the airport and the suspect(s), if any, must be quarantined,” he noted.
“The first patient has recovered and sent home while the other, who was a high risk patient of 67 years of age, also recovered and diagnosed as negative on Tuesday. However, he will be tested again tomorrow,” the handout reads.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Tuesday confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infection in Karachi and Hyderabad, bringing the tally to 18.
“Sindh Health Department has 2 new cases of Coronavirus. The first case is from Hyderabad & the patient arrived from Syria via Doha. The second case is from Karachi and the patient arrived from Iran via Dubai. This brings the total number of cases to 15 in Sindh,” Meeran Yousuf, spokesperson Sindh health department told Arab News on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Pakistan reopened its land border with Iran, after a two-week closure as part of virus containment efforts, as numbers of infections and fatalities in Iran skyrocketed. On the same day, Iran reported 49 deaths in 24 hours.
Several measures have been taken by Pakistan to limit the spread of the disease, with isolation units set up in the southwestern province of Balochistan to screen people returning from Iran.
Those testing positive for the virus are then placed under quarantine for a period of two weeks.

Karachi to continue with PSL matches despite surge in coronavirus