Coronavirus: Emergency declared in Pakistan-Iran border over COVID-19

Quetta - Imran Khan told minister to take all protective measures in the province.

The government in Pakistan's Balochistan have imposed emergency in all of the province's districts that share a border with Iran with immediate effect after the neighbouring country reported four coronavirus deaths.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday contacted Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani and discussed options to stop the virus from entering the country, Dawn news reported.
He told Alyani to take all protective measures in the province along the porous border with Iran.
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Official sources said the provincial health department had established an emergency centre and a control room at the bordering town of Taftan.

"Two doctors were already working at the control room at Taftan," said an official of the health department, adding that a team of seven doctors equipped with thermal guns had been deployed in the town to carry out screening of pilgrims and other people crossing into Pakistan from Iran.

Sources said that special teams of the National Institute of Health (NIH) were scheduled to arrive in Balochistan to give training to the health staff and the doctors regarding safety precautions.

On Saturday, the death toll in Iran increased to four, with 18 confirmed cases.

So far, Pakistan has not reported a single coronavirus case.

• Pakistan