The government of Balochistan has banned all transportation from and to Balochistan from today. The ban will also include the closure of inter-provincial and intra-city travel services.
The development has come a day after the province observed a spike in coronavirus cases. The provincial government has made a formal announcement in this regard.
Under the announcement, all buses, coaches, coasters, and public transportation of all sorts have been taken off the roads for at least two weeks. The decision is subject to renewal based on the health situation in the country.
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Moreover, all schools, shopping malls, marriage halls, and tuition centers have also been closed across the province until April 5.
The closure of the Taftan border entered the 25th day today with all trade activities halted. However, 1,600 pilgrims who were stranded in Iran were allowed to enter the country. These pilgrims from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa..
Category: Property
25 Million People Could be Unemployed Due to Coronavirus: ILO
The economic and labor crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic could increase global unemployment by almost 25 million, according to a new assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The coronavirus pandemic could trigger a global economic crisis destroying up to 25 million jobs around the world if governments do not act fast to shield workers from the impact.
ILO, which is based in Geneva, stated:
However, if we see an internationally coordinated policy response, as happened in the global financial crisis of 2008-9, then the impact on global unemployment could be significantly lower.
The organization called for urgent, large-scale and coordinated measures across three key areas: protecting workers in the workplace, stimulating the economy and employment, and supporting jobs and incomes.
These measures include extending social protection, supporting employment retention (i.e. short-time work, paid leave, other subsidies), and financial and tax relief, including for ..
Swvl Continues Service in Pakistan with Additional Precautions
Bus-hailing service Swvl has announced that it will continue the services in Pakistan while ensuring additional precautionary measures to keep the rides safe for both the crew and commuters.
A press statement from the ride-hailing service says it has collaborated with the government’s transportation officials to spread the awareness among Swvl riders about coronavirus prevention.
Some of the precautionary measures the company has adopted include providing captains with disinfectants, crew training to keep bus seats clean before and after each ride, and more.
Swvl says that it has also activated an open windows policy to ensure the required fresh air ventilation, and lowered the seating capacity to make sure its riders can get the required personal space.
Swvl has also urged riders to restrict their commute to necessary purposes only besides cleaning their hands frequently and keeping the required personal space during commutes.
The service said that it would keep assessing the sit..
Pakistan’s Large Scale Manufacturing Declines 3.37% in Jul-Jan FY 2019-20
Pakistan’s Large Scale Manufacturing Industries’ (LSMI) output during the first seven months of the current financial year witnessed a 3.37% reduction.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the LSMI output during the period from July-January, 2019-20 decreased by 3.37% in Jul-January 2019 as compared to Jul-Jan 2018.
Meanwhile, the data revealed that LSMI’s output on a year on year basis also decreased by 5.96% during the month of January 2020.
However, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, LSMI witnessed an increase of 7.09 percent in January 2020 as compared to December 2019.
During the seven months, growth of 11 items related to OCAC industries witnessed a decline of 10.59% from 112.72 points to 100.78 points, the Ministry of Industries’ related 36 items registered a negative growth of 3.12%, from 132.54 points to 128.41 points, and 65 items related to Provincial Bureau of Statistics (BOS) showed a negative growth of 2.36%, from 178.19 points to 173.99 points.
Accordi..
DG ISPR Responds to News That Army is Disinfecting Pakistan Via Helicopters
Social media platforms have been flooded with fake news and misinformation following the Coronavirus outbreak across the globe.
Recently, a message, linked with ISPR, was doing rounds on social networking platforms claiming that the army will spray pesticides via helicopters all over Pakistan at midnight.
The fake message urged citizens not to head outside after midnight as the pesticides could bear detrimental effects on human health.
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Here is what the fake message read:
Today, special military helicopters will spray pesticides against the Coronavirus in the skies all over the country, so you must stay indoors after midnight. When you hear the sounds of airplanes at night, it is for you to know that it is related to this matter (COVID-19).
However, ISPR has officially rebutted the message. DG ISPR, Major General Babar Iftikhar, has clarified that the department did not issue any message regarding pest..
WhatsApp Partners With WHO for a Real-Time Coronavirus Info Hub
The Facebook-owned WhatsApp has struggled with the spread of misinformation since the start. Despite all the efforts, the platform is still facing similar issues.
In its attempt to control the spread of misinformation, and help people gain access to authentic real-time data, the Company announced two initiatives today.
It has globally launched the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. It will donate $1 million to the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The information hub will offer actionable and straightforward guidance to users around the world. According to WhatsApp, the hub will:
Provide users with community leaders’ support, including health care professionals, educators, local businesses, etc. Help prevent the spread of rumors. Bring authentic pandemic related stories to one place. Apart from this, WhatsApp’s collaboration with Poynter Institute’..
Elon Musk : Tesla Will Make Ventilators if There is a Shortage
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that his factories will be repurposed to produce ventilators in case of any shortages during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The billionaire CEO responded to a fan tweet suggesting that he repurposes his factories to make ventilators. He responded to it saying that he will do so if there is need for it.
FiveThirtyEight editor in chief Nate Silver responded to the tweet saying that there is a shortage right now and Elon finally said:
Tesla makes cars with sophisticated hvac systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems. Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly. Which hospitals have these shortages you speak of right now?
The tweet attracted hundreds of replies of people pointing out shortages in America and other regions across the globe.
Additionally, Tesla is also finally reducing the headcount in its facilities to help workers maintain social distancing and prevent the virus from spreading as much as possible..
PCB Releases Report on Coronavirus Tests of All PSL Players & Officials
Although the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 has been postponed, there is good news. The coronavirus tests of all the players, match officials, team owners, support staff and broadcasters, which were conducted a couple of days ago, have all come out negative.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the news earlier today. There were reports that a foreign cricketer had experienced symptoms of the mysterious virus, following which the league was canceled.
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The reports had suggested that it was England’s Alex Hales who had shown symptoms of the disease, however, he later denied the reports. He is currently in self-isolation as a precautionary measure.
The board has refrained from naming the player who showed coronavirus symptoms.
What are your thoughts on the story? Let us know in the comments.
UAE Bans All Travel Into or Out of the Country
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has completely suspended the entry of visitors, nationals and working visa holders for two weeks in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, an official notification said.
The notification will come into effect from today, March 19, and will be valid until the first week of April. The country has also banned its citizens from traveling abroad. Those who have recently returned are in 14-day mandatory quarantine.
This is a precautionary measure subject to renewal based on the health status measures taken due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an advisory for people with any type of UAE visas, now staying out of the country. Here is the procedure to follow:
– People with a visit visa now staying in the country of origin should contact UAE embassies in their respective countries to streamline their return.
– Working visa holders currently outside the..
Careem Extends Its Ride Package Expiry Dates for Everyone Amid Viral Outbreak
In order to help its customers during the coronavirus pandemic, Careem has extended the validity of all its packages until May 1.
Careem has become the preferred choice for students and professionals across the country. Every month, tens of thousands of Careem users subscribe to their weekly and monthly packages to enjoy additional savings on daily rides.
However, after a sudden lockdown situation in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, many customers were worried about their pre-subscribed packages going to waste.
To save them this trouble, Careem extended the expiry dates of all ride packages till May 1, without any hidden charges. This gesture from Careem has won the customers’ hearts which is evident from their appreciative tweets.
Here are some of them:
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