By Our Defence Correspondent
Rawalpindi: 230th Corps Commanders’ Conference chaired by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was held today at General Headquarters.
Forum reviewed operational preparedness , situation along LOC, geo strategic environment and national & regional security situation with particular emphasis on Afghanistan Peace Process. “The Path to regional stability & peace passes through Afghanistan. Collaborative approach and patience can help overcome all challenges for which Pakistan is ready to play its part with utmost sincerity ” COAS emphasised.Forum also discussed emerging situation with regards to COVID-19 and preventive measures taken at Army Level . COAS directed all concerned to gear up preparations in support of national effort to counter this pandemic in case of any eventuality.
Agencies add: Iran on Thursday reported 75 new deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, bringing the death toll to 429 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
“We have identified 1,075 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, meaning that there are 10,075 infected people in the country. The death toll is 429,” Health Ministry spokesman KianushJahanpur told state television.
The outbreak has infected a host of senior officials, politicians, clerics and members of the elite Revolutionary Guards in Iran, the fourth worst-affected nation after China, South Korea and Italy.
At least seven officials and politicians have died since Feb. 19, when Iran announced first infections and two deaths from the virus.
Iran’s clerical rulers have been struggling to contain the spread of the virus, despite the closure of schools and universities and the suspension of religious, cultural and sports events across the country.
Iranian officials have repeatedly urged people to avoid unnecessary trips and stay at home. “Stay at home. Don’t go shopping. You are making our job more difficult by ignoring the advice,” Health Minister SaeedNamaki told Iranians on a live program.
On the other hand, South Korea confirmed 114 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Thursday local time, raising the total number of infections to 7,869.
Five more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 66. The total fatality rate rose to 0.84 percent.
Forty-five more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 333.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) decided to update the data once a day at 10:00 a.m. local time from March 10, after having announced it twice a day.
The virus infection soared for the past weeks, with 7,838 new cases reported from Feb. 19 to March 11. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest “red” level.
The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 5,867 and 1,143 respectively. It accounted for about 90 percent of the total.
The numbers in Seoul and its adjacent Gyeonggi province came to 212 and 178 each.
Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of infections was found in the metropolis with a population of 2.5 million. Daegu has been designated by the government as a “special care zone.”
The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, in Daegu. Members of the sect are known to sit on the floor closely side by side during church services.
Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 234,000 people, among whom 209,402 tested negative for the virus and 17,727 were being checked.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday the United States would ban all travel from Europe for 30 days starting to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Trump, in an address to the nation, said: “To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.”
The US President further said that Europe saw more cases because governments failed to stop travel from China, where the COVID-19 epidemic began.
Trump´s unexpected move in a primetime TV address from the Oval Office pummelled stock markets, as traders fretted about the economic impact of the outbreak that is on a seemingly relentless march across the planet.
The World Health Organisation also sounded another global alarm bell on Wednesday, officially classifying as a pandemic the virus that has infected more than 124,000 people with 4,500 deaths, according to MEDIA.
“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said, after the president had been criticised for his response so far.
