Tag: coronavirus

  • Jazz pledges Rs 1.2 billion for COVID-19 relief efforts

    Jazz pledges Rs 1.2 billion for COVID-19 relief efforts

    Pakistan’s largest digital service provider, Jazz, a VEON group company, has pledged PKR 1.2 billion support towards Covid19 relief. The support will include short to mid-term initiatives aimed to limit the negative impact of the pandemic, primarily for the most vulnerable communities.

    According to a press release, Jazz will provide support to leading welfare organisations across Pakistan. The initiatives include COVID-19 tests, life-saving ventilators, and food rations to be passed on to the ones most affected by the calamity. The relief response also facilitates Jazz customers to direct their charitable donations via SMS and JazzCash. Jazz employees will also be voluntarily contributing up to 3-days salary to the nationwide relief effort.

    A significant part of the announced support will be for continuing zero-rated and subsidized services for access to emergency care, medical helplines, and critical health applications, which have been either marked-down or made free for customers under this coronavirus relief effort. Additional support will come in through subsidized voice and data bundles and mobile payments. The company has also accelerated the sign-up process for JazzCash mobile wallets so that relief can be provided urgently by donors directly to local community members most impacted by this pandemic.

    Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim said, “We have been at the forefront of solving every crisis in Pakistan for the past 25 years. The COVID-19 is no exception in stepping up our national responsibility. As a digital company, we have a huge role to play in keeping the economy advancing through online connectivity. This global crisis is unprecedented in its scale, and our prayers are with those who are suffering.”

    Aamir added, “It has been our experience that reliance on scientific data, developing a robust, on-ground response, and an active collaboration will lead us out of this crisis. I’m glad that in this time of uncertainty, we are working together with the government, the armed forces, federal and provincial authorities, as they tirelessly contain the spread of Covid19.”

    Mobile communications, access to high-speed internet, and mobile payments are declared essential services during any crisis. The cellular company is working actively to ensure that its services remain unaffected so that Pakistan can stay connected to both work and family.

  • ‘No special flights between Pakistan, UAE,’ officials warn people of travel agents’ scam

    ‘No special flights between Pakistan, UAE,’ officials warn people of travel agents’ scam

    The Pakistan Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued a warning about a ticket scam involving travel agents offering to book tickets on “special flights” from the UAE to Pakistan.

    “Flights between Pakistan and the UAE are suspended and there is no announcement of any special flights from UAE to Pakistan so far,” said a statement issued by the Embassy on Tuesday.

    The statement added that the embassy would announce if any special flights would be offered, while stressing that there will be an official announcement whenever normal flight operations between Pakistan and the UAE resume.

    “This is to inform Pakistani community members in the UAE that some agents are offering tickets for ‘special flights’ from the UAE to Pakistan. Beware of such people and instead contact the respective airlines to confirm the flights before purchasing any tickets,” the embassy statement went on to say.

    The Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai reiterated the warning on its Twitter account.

    “Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai has not announced any special flight to Pakistan of any airline yet. The consulate will not be responsible for any such ticket purchases.”

    Thousands of Pakistanis are stranded in the UAE after flights were suspended amid the global coronavirus outbreak.

    It is understood that Pakistanis’ data is being collated to assist the government in formulating plans for repatriation.

    The Foreign Ministry in Pakistan is also believed to be working out how to bring back stranded Pakistanis from around the world, with some flights already being operated.

  • Miss England 2019 gives up her pageant crown for a doctor’s gown

    Miss England 2019 is hanging up her crown (for now) to focus on the coronavirus pandemic.

    Bhasha Mukherjee, 24, was a junior doctor specialising in respiratory medicine before competing in the Miss World pageant on behalf of England in December 2019. Although continuing her work at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, after taking home her Miss England sash, she had planned to put her medical career on hold to travel the world for various humanitarian efforts after her latest competition. However, four weeks into her ambassadorship in India on behalf of Coventry Mercia Lions Club, where she donated stationery to schools and gave money to a home for abandoned girls, news broke that COVID-19 was spreading rapidly back home in the UK.

    After Mukherjee started receiving messages from former colleagues about the worsening situation at her hospital, she knew she had to pick up where she had left off. She told CNN she felt she needed to be more hands-on during the pandemic.

    “When you are doing all this humanitarian work abroad, you’re still expected to put the crown on, get ready…look pretty,” she said. “I wanted to come back home. I wanted to come and go straight to work.”

    “This is what I’d got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now?” she said. “It was incredible the way the whole world was celebrating all key workers, and I wanted to be one of those, and I knew I could help.”

    On April 5, Queen Elizabeth II made a rare address to the British public, thanking health care and essential workers for their tireless effort responding to COVID-19.

    “I want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all,” she said. “I’m sure the nation will join me in ensuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.”

    The queen finished her speech with a hopeful message. “We can take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return,” she said. “We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again.”

    On Wednesday, April 6, Mukherjee returned to England but still has to self-isolate for about two weeks before she can return to work as a doctor at the Pilgrim Hospital, where it’s all hands on deck, according to the pageant queen.

    “There’s no better time for me to be Miss England and helping England at a time of need,” she said.

  • Pakistan delivers flowers to 10 Downing Street as British PM fights coronavirus

    Pakistan delivers flowers to 10 Downing Street as British PM fights coronavirus

    Pakistan High Commission in London on Tuesday delivered flowers to 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson who was admitted to the hospital two days ago after testing positive for the coronavirus, The Guardian reported.

    Johnson tested positive for the virus on Mar 27, following which he went into self-isolation at his official residence. On Sunday, he was admitted to an undisclosed hospital in London and a day later shifted to the intensive care unit as, reports said, his condition worsened.

    On Tuesday, PM Imran Khan also wrote to his British counterpart, wishing him “earliest recovery” and “good health”.

    According to a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO), the premier, in the letter, underscored the importance of Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK) working together to overcome the formidable challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

  • This is when experts are saying the coronavirus pandemic might end

    This is when experts are saying the coronavirus pandemic might end

    Experts in the United States, in an article published in The Atlantic, are putting a tentative timeline to how long the coronavirus pandemic will last. According to them, the following are the scenarios we might be facing in the coming months.

  • Coronavirus lockdown: No crime reported in Rawalpindi since March 24

    Coronavirus lockdown: No crime reported in Rawalpindi since March 24

    No crime has been reported in Rawalpindi since the imposition of coronavirus lockdown on March 24, a report quoted police as saying.

    “The reason behind crime dropping to zero is that criminals fear the virus and also don’t want to put themselves at risk while numerous personnel of law enforcement agencies patrol the city,” police said.

    Saddar Division SP Rai Mazhar Iqbal said the crime rate, however, had started to decline before the lockdown was put in place. “Before the lockdown, the crime rate had already reduced by 70% to 80%,” he said, adding that the remaining 20% to 25% was taken care of by the lockdown.

    It merits a mention that Punjab remains the worst-affected by the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — as the number of confirmed cases on Tuesday reached 2,004.

    Sindh is trailing far behind with 986 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 500 cases.

    Infections in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK)/Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Balochistan and Islamabad for now stand at 229, 202 and 83, respectively.

    As many as 55 coronavirus deaths and 429 recoveries had been reported in Pakistan by the time this report was filed.

  • Coronavirus: Improved air quality leads to breathtaking view of Kashmir from Sialkot

    With reduced industrial pollution and traffic due to coronavirus resulting in improved air quality across the globe, breathtaking views of Kashmiri peaks from Punjab’s north-eastern city of Sialkot — one of Pakistan’s most industrialised regions — have started doing rounds over social media.

    In the wake of COVID-19, lockdowns have had a dramatic impact on air pollution around the world. While lockdowns have emerged as a temporary but effective solution to the global pandemic, they also appear to be dealing with another pressing problem faced by citizens — suffocating pollution. As millions of humans stay home around the world, pollution is temporarily alleviating.

    While the mountains of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) could earlier only be seen from Sialkot after heavy rains — when the weather was super clean –, they can now be seen from the city as improved air quality leads to better visibility and clearer skies.

    Earlier, images of clear skies over China and California, and fish swimming in Venice’s canals also made their way to social media. While they are a glimpse of what it might look like if we take better care of the earth, none of it is likely to last.

    https://twitter.com/ikaveri/status/1239660248207589383

    Much of this temporary environmental reprieve will diminish once the economy picks back up again. And of course, no one should want to curb pollution and tackle climate change via a deadly global pandemic, given the grave health and economic impacts the crisis is creating.

  • Mani hits back at those labelling his charity efforts as ‘cheap publicity stunt’

    Mani hits back at those labelling his charity efforts as ‘cheap publicity stunt’

    In the past week, there has been a lot of debate over whether celebrities should be open about their charity efforts or not. While a lot of people were of the opinion that celebrities should keep it private, celebrities have opened up and said that the only reason they are sharing their efforts is because they want to inspire and motivate people to do the same.

    Salman ‘Mani’ Sheikh and his wife Hira Mani are among those celebrities who have been collecting and distributing ration bags among the needy. They have kept their fans updated throughout for which they received immense backlash on social media. Later, Mani hit back at the criticism saying “As pop culture celebrities when we share posts of our material wealth – our show ratings, our wardrobe, our holidays – it is labelled as ‘trending’. However, when we try to use our fame to do some good, it is unfairly being labelled as ‘cheap publicity stunt’.”

    Mani shared the process of how they started collecting donation bags and said that the only reason they shared it on Instagram was to create awareness and raise funds for their drive.

    “We put up pictures on Instagram so whoever knew anyone deserving could contact us and refer that needy family. However, after a week we started running out of funds and appealed to others to join in. We also encouraged fans to start similar donations in their areas because our reach was limited,” he continued adding that they received a lot of donations and a lot of brands started contacting them.

    Mani further said, “We didn’t put up pictures with the people who we were donating to, we didn’t show queues of deserving white-collar workers at our place. We don’t even go down to meet the people who come to our doorstep, so we don’t embarrass them and they don’t feel that we are doing it for publicity. And yet…we are disliked for it.”

    “We [will] continue with our mission. Here’s the quote that keeps us going and will keep all those who are helping the ones in need, to keep at it no matter what,” he concluded.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pBCBDpmGY/

    In the accompanying video, Mani took viewers on a tour of the setup where the ration bags are being made. Mani said that each ration box can roughly last a week or two. He said that each box includes aata, milk, risk, pulses, soap and oil among other things.

    Earlier, Hira had also addressed the same concerns.

    “Main show off nahi ker rahi mere kia aukat bus ye picture laga kay app logaon ko bata rahi hun kay app sub bhe mere saath mill kay iska hissa bunien ya phir apni capacity main app khud se jo bhe ker saktay hain kerien please. Abhi madad kerien (I’m not showing off, I’m a nobody. The only reason I’m posting this picture is to encourage people to come together and help in whatever way they can),” the actor had written.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Wy-hyHxe8/

    Meanwhile, some celebrities had appealed to their followers to keep the identity of those receiving the donations private.

  • Coronavirus: Top judge slams PTI govt, says ‘nothing being done on ground’

    Coronavirus: Top judge slams PTI govt, says ‘nothing being done on ground’

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has rebuked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government for its “insufficient” measures to contain the new coronavirus, declaring that “nothing is being done on ground”.

    The top judge’s remarks came as COVID-19 infections in Pakistan crossed 3,500 with at least 52 deaths on Monday.

    Hearing an appeal against the verdict announced by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the CJP directed the government to grant bail to low-risk under-trial prisoners (UTPs) during the pandemic.

    At the outset of the hearing, he said that the government had closed the out-patient departments (OPDs) of all hospitals, leaving no place for patients to seek treatment at such a crucial time.

    “Hospitals have been closed when we need them. Up till now, 10 hospitals with 1,000 beds each should have been made operational,” he said.

    “Everyone is talking about funds, no one is doing anything. The public has been left at the mercy of God,” he remarked. The chief justice also criticised the government’s efforts to encourage people to stay indoors in order to curb the spread of the disease.

    The attorney general (AG) said that the federal government is taking best possible measures to fight the deadly contagion. He further stated that another report, apprising about the situation in the country has also been submitted before the court.

    The top judge said that Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari filed a reply that the Peshawar High Court has ordered the release of 3,200 prisoners.

    The AG replied that no such verdict was given by the (PHC), adding that the human rights minister might be mistaken.

    The chief justice also questioned the competence of State Minster for Health Dr Zafar Mirza, saying that he is just being given coverage on media on a daily basis.

    The top court remarked that no one has come from the Defence Ministry. “The court needs to inquire about what the Defence Ministry is up to,” the SC remarked.

    To this, the AG responded that no one from the ministry was summoned yet.

    On Saturday, senior lawyer Khawaja Haris had urged the top court to reconsider its decision of revoking the IHC ruling. In a set of recommendations submitted to the apex court, Haris said that the IHC had announced the verdict in line with the law due to the ongoing crisis.

    He had said that it is imperative that measures are taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

  • British PM Boris Johnson shifted to ICU

    British PM Boris Johnson shifted to ICU

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.

    “Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” a spokesperson for No 10 Downing Street said in a statement.

    “Since Sunday evening, the Prime Minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

    “The PM has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is the First Secretary of State, to deputise for him where necessary.”

    “The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication,” the spokesperson added.

    On Monday, Boris Johnson tweeted that he had gone to the hospital last night, on the advice of my doctor.

    “I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms. I’m in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe,” he had written.