CM Punjab says coronavirus daily testing capacity increased to 6,000

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said on Saturday that the coronavirus testing capacity has been increased in the province after the number of the testing labs was increased to eight.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore, CM Buzdar said 6,000 people would be tested daily for the coronavirus, starting Sunday.

He said that funds of Rs620 million were spent to make the labs operational.

Speaking about the protest of patients at the Lahore Expo Field Hospital, the chief minister assured that he was looking into the matter and an inquiry has been ordered.

“In the coming days, we will also recommend the federal government to approve declaring homes of some COVID-19 patients as quarantine centres," he said.

He said smart sampling would begin in six cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujrat, Gujrwanwala, and Faisalabad.

Read more: PPP lambastes Centre over non-provision of PPEs, demands premier step down

“Smart sampling was collecting samples only from a certain number of randomly selected households,” he said.

According to the plan, people would be divided under different categories – media workers, law enforcers, pregnant women admitted in hospitals, government workers at management offices, Tuberculosis and AIDS patients, health workers, and prisoners in jails.

These people would be tested for COVID-19, he said, adding that the province had enough protective equipment for every healthcare worker.

He said the provincial government was in talks with the federal government to reopen power-looms, construction, iron, steel and other industries that had labour colonies for their workers.

PPP slams centre over lack of efforts to curb pandemic

A days ago, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari slammed the PTI-led government over its "failure to fulfil basic demands of the doctors fighting coronavirus on the frontline" and demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan step down from his role "if he is unable to work as a premier".

"The Centre should also play its role in supporting the provinces in the war against coronavirus," he noted.