Pakistani Muslim hug each other after attending Eid al-Adha prayers at a mosque in Karachi on September 13, 2016. Muslims across the world celebrate the annual festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and in commemoration of Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. / AFP PHOTO / ASIF HASSAN
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has placed a ban on employees from greeting each other with handshakes and hugs amid Coronavirus fears.
ICT administration has issued several other precautionary measures for its employees that include a ban on using biometric attendance machines.
The capital administration has also urged citizens to avoid crowded areas and keep a distance of 2 meters from anyone suffering from flu.
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It has also recommended citizens to wear face masks, gloves, and use hand sanitizers to bring the risk of the virus down.
Keeping in view the developing situation and ICT administration’s orders regarding COVID-19, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has also ordered all its employees to discontinue the use of biometric attendance machines at the hospital.
According to an official circular issued by PIMS, the order to suspend biometric attendance comes into effect immediately and will stay enacted until further orders.
ED PIMS has also directed the heads of all departments to maintain manual attendance of the employees of their respective departments.
Moreover, heads of departments at PIMS have been ordered to ensure the availability of hand sanitizers and face masks in their departments.
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On the other hand, PIMS’ employees have also been directed to minimize human contact and ensure frequent hand washing to reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
PM’s Special Assistant on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, has ordered to deploy psychologists at all airports in the country to address the concerns of passengers regarding the spread of Coronavirus in Pakistan.
According to Dr. Mirza, the health ministry has tested around 200 suspected patients for Coronavirus. Out of 200, only 5 persons were tested positive for COVID-19.
In another development linked with the health ministry, the federal government has relieved Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik (BS-22) from the charge of secretary health.
The government has appointed Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shan (BS-21) as incharge additional health secretary.
