Infections in Pak rise to five

Islamabad, March 3: A 45year-old woman, who returned from Iran, tested positive for the deadly Covid-19 in Pakistan, taking the total number of the Covid-19 infections in the country to five, officials said on Tuesday.

The woman, who returned from Iran some days ago, is a resident of Gilgit city in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region. “We have now 5th confirmed case of #Covid19 in federal areas. Patient is stable and is being managed well. I request the media to respect the privacy of the patient and the family,” tweeted Dr Zafar Mirza, Special Advisor on Health.

Officials said that the patient has been admitted to an isolated ward. The GB government has shut down educational institutions till March 7 after the confirmation of its first Covid-19 case. Sindh and Balochistan have already closed schools and colleges after the virus surfaced in the country. Pakistan has also closed its border with Iran and Afghanistan.

● IRAN SAID a BritishIranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, jailed in Tehran, is “in perfect health” after the dual national reportedly expressed fears of contracting the virus. ● A GERMAN cruise ship with 1,200 passengers is moored in southern Norway waiting for the test results of two passengers who had been on land to be tested for the new Covid-19. ● ABOUT 100 health workers are under isolation in northern Spain and at least 120 others are being closely watched by authorities after at least five doctors and nurses were infected with the new virus in hospitals. ● THE SWISS army said that all soldiers would be confined to the country’s military installations after a virus case was found in their ranks.