Islamabad: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the government to set up quarantine centres at the Torkham, Taftan, and Chaman borders, a news source reported.
As per the publication, Chief Justice (CJ) Gulzar Ahmed chaired a five-member bench and heard a petition against the federal high court’s order to release 408 prisoners in the wake of the novel coronavirus on March 20. The SC said that the entry points to Torkham, Taftan, and Chaman needed to be plugged in order to stem the flow of additional COVID-19 patients from entering the country.
The apex court directed that each quarantine centre should have enough facilities to lodge 1,000 individuals, including proper drainage, single occupancy, hygienic toilets, water supply, and medical centres. CJ Gulzar further ordered that the quarantine centres must be made functional within a month, while the SC also stressed the need for legislation regarding the steps taken by the government to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
The apex
court also directed the government officials to formulate a proposal to
initiate the local manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE), as it
believed that the country had both the resources and facilities to do so.
