Coronavirus quarantine centre at Pak-Iran Border runs out of space
Pilgrims will be shifted to new centre in Quetta
Pakistani soldiers wear facemasks on the closed border of Pakistan-Iran in Taftan on February 25, 2020 as fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus escalate following an outbreak in neighbouring Iran. Photo: AFP
The process of quarantining pilgrims at the Pak-Iran Taftan Border is continuing but the quarantine centre has run out of space.
Authorities want to make sure the pilgrims showed no signs of having contracted the coronavirus before allowing them to leave.
The quarantine centre has reached its maximum capacity and 500 people are being shifted to a quarantine camp near Pakistan House.
As of Thursday the border has been closed for the past 12 days while the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman was closed for the fourth day. However, pilgrims continue to return from Iran.
Pakistan is taking extra precautions after it confirmed five cases of coronavirus in the country. All five people had visited Iran recently.
The Balochistan government has decided to send any new pilgrims arriving from Iran to Quetta. A quarantine cell is being set up in Quetta’s Hazarganj where 3,000 people can be accommodated, according to the PDMA.
More pilgrims are expected back today (Thursday). Iran has the highest death rate from the coronavirus outside of China and 77 people have died so far.
On Tuesday, the health ministry said the number of confirmed cases had risen by more than 50% for the second day in a row. It now stands at 2,336, although the real figure is believed to far higher, according to BBC.
