Amid coronavirus fears, Gilgit-Baltistan bans hunting of birds

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan government has imposed a ban on hunting of seasonal birds amid fears of possible transmission of a novel coronavirus in the country, reported ARY News.

According to officials, there will be a blanket ban on hunting of birds migrating from mainland China in Gilgit-Baltistan.

As of February 19, 2020, the coronavirus has killed at least 2,000 people and in mainland China alone it has infected over 74,000, according to reports.

Earlier, on Feb 19, Prime Minister Imran Khan had telephoned Chinese President Xi Jinping to express solidarity with the Chinese leadership and people in the wake of novel coronavirus outbreak.

During the telephonic conversion, PM Khan conveyed his heartfelt condolences over the precious lives lost due to the outbreak of the virus.

He praised the relentless efforts undertaken by China for containing and controlling coronavirus and underscored that the people and the Government of Pakistan stand firmly behind China in its decisive efforts to fight and eliminate the virus.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated Pakistan’s offer to send a field hospital along with a team of doctors to China to help Chinese people fight the virus.