Pakistan urges calm as coronavirus cases surge

Thursday, 19 March 2020 00:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Islamabad (Reuters): Pakistan's prime minister called for calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 256.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an address to the nation, urged citizens to remain calm and not rush to get tested.

“Only those with intense symptoms should go to hospital,” he said. “There is no need to worry. We will fight this as a nation. And God-willing, we will win this war.” His comments came amid a growing dispute in Pakistan between federal and provincial authorities, with the latter struggling to secure sufficient coronavirus testing kits and blaming the federal government for failing to properly test and quarantine hundreds of Pakistanis who recently returned home across a land border with Iran.

Pakistan said on Tuesday it would require all arriving air passengers to show they had tested negative for the disease. Land borders have already been shut.