Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced a 20 percent decrease in the fee of private schools, adding that no private school in the province will receive full fee during the lockdown period. No private school will collect the full fee of more than one month. Similarly, private schools could not layoff their teachers and other staff. Jobs of such staff members will be given protection and the education department has been directed to take immediate steps in this regard.
He stated this during a media briefing in the committee room of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.
Replying to the questions of the media men, the chief minister stated that BSL level-III labs will be made functional at the divisional level very soon. These labs are near to completion in Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Rawalpindi and 62 crore rupees have been released, he added. He declared the capacity of conducting coronavirus tests will be enhanced to 5000 daily within the next two weeks and added that fielded hospitals are soon being made functional in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Jhelum. He mentioned that meeting with the Chinese doctors remained fruitful and they advised that social distancing is the best safety from coronavirus.
The CM pronounced that 12000 rupees each will be given to 2.5 million deserving people under Insaf Imdad Package and Ehsaas Programme. The compulsion of distribution through PDMA has been imposed to ensure that aid is provided to every deserving person and the philanthropists should contact the PDMA for this purpose, he explained. He informed that packets containing necessary material were distributed in 25000 needy families in the provincial metropolis adding that relief goods will be distributed in Lahore in collaboration with DC office and NGOs. The government is keeping a vigilant eye on the emerging economic conditions in the wake of coronavirus pandemic and the decision of ease or strictness of restrictions in different areas is made on the basis of daily reports, he replied. To another question, he told that affected doctors in DG Khan will be fully taken care of adding that hoarders will not be pardoned. Fines worth more than 2 billion rupees have been imposed for hoarding and price-hike and deputy commissioners and administration is fully active in the province, he concluded.
Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare briefed that close associates of coronavirus patients are also been traced while the total number of coronavirus patients in the province is 1684. Of the 2110 traced citizens, 147 have been tested positive. There are 8000 diagnostics kits and more will also be provided, he added.
Provincial Ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, Secretary Information and others were also present.
Meanwhile, Usman Buzdar visited the Central PCR Lab set up by Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department at Birdwood Road for coronavirus tests on Monday. The CM inspected various sections of the biggest BSL level-III lab of the province while wearing PPE and inquired the staff about the test procedure. He appreciated the establishment of BSL level-III lab and commended the services being rendered by the department.
Secretary P&SHD Muhammad Usman briefed about the procedure of tests’ conduction adding that micro and molecular biologists are working day and night. The coronavirus test samples are sent to this lab through cold chain transport system and results are sent back to the relevant hospital within 6 to 7 hours. He told that more than 3000 coronavirus tests have been conducted adding that 2000 tests will be daily conducted in this lab after expansion. Meanwhile, more than 3100 coronavirus tests are being conducted daily in Punjab, he added.
Provincial Ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, Secretary Information and others were present outside the lab.
