2000 expected to return to Pak from Iran through Taftan border soon

About 2000 people are expected to return to Pakistan from Iran through Taftan border in the coming days, while over 500 are already undergoing quarantine at the camps set up at the border area, Balochistan chief secretary retired Captain Fazeel Asghar has said.

Iran on Saturday had over 20,000 cases of the highly contagious virus.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Asghar informed that a total of 104 cases have been reported in Balochistan and have been kept in isolation wards established in Sheikh Zayed and Fatima Jinnah Chest hospitals, Dawn reported.

People currently in the Taftan camp have complained of squalid living conditions and the unavailability of adequate screening and treatment procedures at the facilities, prompting concerns about the spike in coronavirus cases among those housed there.

Many have lamented the lack of medical facilities at the camp.

The claims have been denied by the Balochistan government, which said it was doing its best with limited resources.

Pakistan has so far reported 645 cases of the novel coronavirus, including 292 in Sindh alone. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 267,000 people and killed 11,201 people, as per the latest data available on the World Health Organisation website.