ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Almost just over two weeks, Bhara Kahu area of the Federal Capital will be de-sealed, a sign of relief for the local residents who went through a state of anxiety and fear for days after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak engulfed the entire area.
On his Official Twitter account, the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat expressed hope that Bhara Kahu would be de-sealed tomorrow (Tuesday).
The area rose to the limelight when a foreign member of a 13-member Tableeghi Jamaat staying in a local mosque was tested positive for the Coronavirus, and he also caused the transmission of the virus to his fellows.
The news caught the mainstream media’s attention and the district administration in a prompt reaction on March 21 transported the infected person to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and sealed two mosques where the Tableeghi Jamaat had stayed for peaching.
However, the situation was further deteriorated when test reports of the rest of the group members were also found positive. Resultantly, the entire Bhara Kahu was sealed on March 23 and personnel of Pakistan Army, Rangers and Islamabad police were deployed in and around the area.
While giving a good news on Twitter, Hamza Shafqaat said that all members of the infected Tableeghi Jamaat have now recuperated from the virus. He said that they would return to their home with protective measures tomorrow.
اور ایک بہت اچھی خبر یہ بھی ہے کی تبلیغی جماعت کے تمام لوگ جو بارہ کہو میں رکھے گئے تھے اب صحت یاب ہو چکے ہیں ۔ سب کے ٹیسٹ نیگیٹیو آ چکے ہیں ۔ انشاء اللہ کل تک وہ حفاظتی انتظامات کے ساتھ گھر جا سکیں گے ۔امید ہے کل تک بارہ کہو کھول دیا جائے گا ۔ اللہ ہم سب کی حفاظت فرمائے
— Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) April 6, 2020
It’s worth noting that Shahzad Town and Rimsha Colony in H-9 Islamabad were also sealed on March 26 after a few Coronavirus Cases were detected there. Later on April 1, after ensuring that the emergence of any suspected Case was unlikely in Rimsha Colony, the District Magistrate issued the directive to de-seal the area. However, the fate of the Shahzad Town yet remains unknown.
Furthermore, the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat told on Twitter that a total of 82 persons have so far been tested positive in Islamabad. He said that only 12 of them have been admitted in the hospital while the rest are without any serious symptoms and are home quarantined. He added that no death of the virus has yet occurred in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Hamza Shafqaat also said that we have checked more than 71,000 houses and tested 2,700 people in the ICT.
“Our extensive field surveys and contact tracing has enabled us to restrict the virus. Our teams are working day and night to keep this virus contained. At the moment, the government has chosen Islamabad only to accept foreign flights. No other city was trusted with this task,” he tweeted.
The Deputy Commissioner said that we have managed seven flights till now with over 1,500 passengers. He said that 300 passengers are quarantined at the moment and we are looking after them with the best hospitality in the given meager resources. He told that 22 arrivals from Istanbul were tested positive whereas the rest are clear.
“We have compiled their data and shared with all provinces. If we manage to keep the Coronavirus contained till 4th of May, epidemiologists tell me that we will win the first battle. Islamabad plz cooperate with us for one more month,” he said.
