Bureau Report
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that Pakistan was inspired by the determination and courage of the Chinese people and government after the coronavirus attack, speaking to reporters.
“There is still work to be done, but with our limited resources, we have performed exceptionally well. China of course helped us as always. Apart from their (China’s) practical help, they also showed us the way. We followed them and were successful,” he said.
Chief Minister Buzdar said his Punjab provincial government kept one eye on the coronavirus and the other on Iron Brother China on how they were dealing with the pandemic.
“The officials from China visited us. They supported us with equipment and expertise. We also remained interested in whatever China was doing to defeat the diseases. The all-weather-friend helped us in more than one way,” he maintained.
Pakistan’s number of patients recovering from the coronavirus crossed 300,000, officials said last day, amid fear that a second wave coupled with winter season could reverse the gains against the pandemic.
The Ministry of National Health Services showed that 300,616 people had fully recovered out of 315,727 reported cases of COVID-19, including 467 detected on Tuesday.
The number of coronavirus cases in the largest province of Punjab crossed 100,000. In all, Sindh reported 138,593 cases, Punjab 100,033, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 38,105, Islamabad 16,845, Balochistan 15,420, Gilgit-Baltistan 3,857 and Azad Jammu Kashmir 2,874.
The authorities had carried out a total of 3,702,607 tests since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that newly opened marriage halls and restaurants were becoming main sources for the spread of COVID-19.
He cautioned that marriage halls and restaurants could help avoid the spike if standard operating procedures were complied with.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned that a rise in COVID-19 infections could be expected in winter.
Usman Buzdar said that the provincial government was following the successful Chinese model to defeat Covid-19 in the province. He said that maximum help had been sought from the Chinese health experts to overcome the coronavirus crisis. Provincial health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has been briefing Usman Buzdar on the Chinese model of treating Covid-19 patients.
Previously, CM Buzdar said the Chinese line of action against Covid-19 outbreak had been very successful and the Punjab government would adopt their scientific method to defeat the virus.
Last week, Chief Minister Buzdar had congratulated Chinese government and people on National Day of the People’s Republic of China and said China was Pakistan’s most trustworthy friend.
He said Pakistan-China friendship was an example for entire world as Beijing stood with Pakistan at every difficult moment.
He said China along with its leadership led a successful struggle against poverty, unemployment and corruption.
“Pakistan and China are on the same page on international issues, peace and mutual respect. The relations between the two countries improved significantly during tenure of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he said.
