KARACHI: 20 more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Sindh – the highest single-day jump in death toll, taking the tally of people who have died from the disease in the province to 336, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
He told a press conference that as many as 960 new infections were confirmed when 6,003 samples were tested during the previous 24 hours, taking the number of people affected by the virus to 19,624.
364 healthcare workers have been infected by the virus, seven of whom have succumbed to the disease so far, the chief minister disclosed. He further said 274 policemen have been affected, out of which 50 have recovered while five passed away.
CM Murad appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to make a national announcement to celebrate this Eidul Fitr with simplicity. He also urged people to celebrate Eid with simplicity and called for dedicating it to the people who have been affected by the infection.
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Referring to Chief of Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed’s remarks during the hearing of the coronavirus case, he said he was surprised to hear comments like “You may not want to wear new clothes, but others do.”
“How is it possible that I wear new clothes while the coronavirus affected persons cannot afford it”, the CM questioned.
Hitting back at criticism of the Sindh government over its anti-Covid-19 response, he said it was the Sindh province that enlightened the entire country about how to combat the dreaded virus.
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Murad said other provinces followed the decisions his government took to stem the virus spread.
