Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah hints at imposing more coronavirus restrictions

• Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah says more restrictions might be imposed on transport if coronavirus cases continue to rise.
• Says if SOPs are not properly followed, the number of coronavirus cases will grow. 
• Says the government has not imposed a ban on transportation of goods, rather public transportation has been banned to contain the virus. 

KARACHI: The Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has hinted at imposing further restrictions in the province as coronavirus cases continue to surge.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, CM Murad Ali Shah said that if the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) are not properly followed, the virus could rapidly spread across the province.

Speaking about the current restrictions in place, he said that the transportation of goods has not been stopped by the government, while only public transport has been banned for the safety of the people. 

"If the situation gets critical, then the federation will be asked to impose more restrictions on public transport," he said, adding that he had earlier requested the Centre to impose a ban on inter-provincial public transportation to contain the virus.

The chief minister said that [despite its efforts] the government of Sindh is unable to vaccinate as many people as it should.

"This is a big failure [for the government]," adding that even if someone has been inoculated, they should continue to observe the government's mandated SOPs to keep themselves safe.

Talking about the economic situation, Murad Ali Shah said that the growth rate in the country is less than one-and-a-half per cent.

"We are changing the [economic] laws as per the guidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He further said that the government has liberated the State Bank of Pakistan, adding that the institution is "not accountable to anyone anymore."

"The Centre has made the SBP so powerful that no one can do anything about it," Murad Ali Shah said.

He said that the federal government had promised the creation of five million jobs, but instead, unemployment is constantly rising in the country.

"There are many more ways to get out of the economic crisis, but the country's economic situation is in dire straits due to the policies of the current government," he said.

COVID-19 claims three more lives; infects 470 others 

On Wednesday, three people in the province succumbed to COVID-19, lifting the death toll to 4,533. Meanwhile, the province reported 470 new cases after 9,923 tests were conducted. 

So far, Sindh has conducted 3,425,531 tests against which 270,309 cases were diagnosed. Some 95.8% or 258,999 patients have recovered, including 466 overnight.