Oil giant Saudi Aramco has come under fire after photos, showing one of its migrant workers wearing a surgical mask and a large hand-sanitiser dispenser, went viral on social media.
Twitter users labelled the act by the oil company as “racist” and “classist” as the worker appeared to be walking around distributing sanitiser to staff members inside and outside one of its buildings in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
A foreign worker walking in the halls of Saudi oil giant #Aramco and wearing a large hand santiser dispenser shows us how modern slavery looks like. https://t.co/R7z0cl3fxy
Saudis are the worst. No, this isn’t a joke. It’s pictures of a human hand sanitizer dispenser in the offices of Saudi state oil company Aramco. https://t.co/WuGXmJHnm6
Following the backlash, the company released an official statement in which it expressed its “strong dissatisfaction with this abusive behaviour that was used to emphasise the importance of sanitization, without the approval of the company’s concerned party,” Al Jazeera reported.
“The company immediately stopped this act and took strict measures to prevent it from happening again,” the statement said.
وقد قامت الشركة على الفور بإيقاف هذا الفعل واتخاذ إجراءات صارمة تحول دون تكراره. وتؤكّد الشركة حزمها ضد المساس بقيمها المبنية على الاحترام والتمسك بأخلاقيات السلوك والتعامل.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suffered a loss of Rs2 billion following the suspension of flights to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the coronavirus-triggered temporary ban on Umrah.
PIA officials told reporters on Tuesday that the airlines’ schedule had been seriously disturbed as tickets of 50,000 passengers had been cancelled so far. They further said that 34 flights to Medina and 13 to Mecca were scheduled weekly for business visa and iqama holders despite fewer passengers.
Meanwhile, after Iran and Qatar, PIA has decided to temporarily suspend flight operations to Italy to keep a check on coronavirus.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said in a press release that the national carrier had temporarily suspended its flight operation to and from Milan till March 31. However, he said the passengers having the nationality of any European country could travel to Paris by PIA flights.
He said on reaching Paris, the passengers would have to manage their onward journey on their own. The passengers, who had reserved their seats for Pakistan from Milan, would have to travel to Paris on their own to catch a PIA flight.
A Sindh government spokesperson, in an exclusive conversation with The Current, has rubbished reports claiming that Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah’s brother-in-law has contracted coronavirus as the pandemic spreads across Karachi.
With nine new cases in Sindh, the total number of cases of the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — in Pakistan on Monday rose to 16, out of which two patients are undergoing treatment in Islamabad while one female patient is undergoing treatment at a health facility in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The development was followed by a private media outlet’s report that one of the persons who had tested positive for coronavirus in Karachi had reached the port city from Syria via Doha on Sunday, and was the brother-in-law of Sindh CM.
“Asif Hyder Shah is a federal secretary and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Karachi after testing positive for COVID-19,” the report had claimed.
The claim, however, was rejected by a spokesperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in Sindh. “Asif Hyder Shah is a federal secretary and brother-in-law of Murad Ali Shah, but he hasn’t tested positive for the virus,” the spokesperson told The Current.
While it was confirmed that seven persons who reached Karachi from Syria via Doha had tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two days, CM Murad’s brother-in-law wasn’t among them.
Meanwhile, strict measures have been taken by the government, including extending border closure with Afghanistan for seven more days and installing screening machines at all major airports in the country.
According to reports, the Sindh government is considering a proposal to issue an advisory requesting a ban on public events, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and it is likely that the remaining matches of the PSL to be held in Karachi will be shifted to Lahore.
A meeting of the provincial authorities has also recommended setting up a health desk at the Karachi airport.
With the help of the desk, all those entering Karachi through the airport will be screened for the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the health department said health desks will also be established at hospitals, Geo reported.
The desks at hospitals, named front-line desks, will provide up-to-date information about the spread of the virus in the city.
A recommendation to shut schools in the province for a longer period will also be sent to the Sindh CM; exams would, however, be held as per schedule, the Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has said.
Sindh Health Department is mulling over a proposal to issue an advisory for the public and requesting a ban on public events in Karachi, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), after nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the port city on Monday, followed by another two in Sindh on Tuesday.
According to Geo, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are in touch with the Sindh government regarding the fate of the PSL matches that are to be held in Karachi over the next two weeks.
“PCB officials are in constant touch with the Sindh government and attending all the meetings regarding PSL matches in the city,” a PCB spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The spokesperson further said that the board would follow the Sindh government’s directives. “However, for now, the matches are still scheduled for Karachi.”
As per the details of the two cases surfacing Tuesday, the first case of the novel coronavirus emerged in Hyderabad. The patient had reportedly come to Pakistan from Doha via Syria. The second case of the virus emerged in Karachi, putting the total tally of cases in the port city at 15.
The total number of infections in Pakistan has now reached 18.
ENGRO SHUTS DOWN KARACHI HARBOUR FRONT OFFICES:
Engro Corporation shut down its offices in the HarbourFront building on Tuesday after an employee was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
Engro is a Pakistani multinational conglomerate company with subsidiaries involved in production of fertilizers, foods, chemicals, energy and petrochemicals. Its major subsidiaries, Engro Fertilizers, is one of the largest fertilizer manufacturers in the world.
A statement from the corporation stated that at 1 pm on Tuesday, an employee who worked at the eighth-floor office of the building was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The statement further said that the employee was last in the office for a few hours on Friday, March 6, 2020. The organisation said it had decided to shut its offices for three days “on medical advice from our doctor and in consultation with relevant experts”.
“Only as a precautionary measure, all Engro offices at the HarbourFront building shall remain closed over the next three days, with business to resume on Monday, March 16, 2020,” read the statement.
The organisation told its employees to work from home for the next three days and stated that upon their return, they will be screened for the novel infection.
Meanwhile, Sindh education secretary has dismissed rumours claiming that the provincial government was mulling plans to extend school holidays across the province as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.
Earlier in the day, it had been reported that the provincial health department will send a recommendation to Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah for schools to remain shut for a longer period.
Speaking to a private media outlet, Khalid Shah said the Sindh government was not considering any recommendations seeking an extension in school holidays. “All educational institutions in Sindh will re-open on March 16,” he said.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the health department held on Tuesday morning under the chair of the province’s health minister.
The stock market on Monday crashed during the early trading hours as confusion and uncertainty surrounded potential investors due to the decline in international oil prices by about 30 per cent — the worst since the Gulf War in the 1990s.
As per the details, the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE 100-Share Index tumbled 2,291.69 points or 6 per cent around 10 am, before recovering to 36,862.34 in the afternoon. The apex of the day remained 38,219.67 (the previous close) and 35,917.34, the lowest.
The crash was triggered amid a global sell-off on coronavirus fears as well as a crude oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Trading floors were a sea of red across Asia, with Tokyo, Sydney and Manila plunging around 6 per cent, while Hong Kong shed 3.5 per cent by lunch.
Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta and Wellington were more than 3 per cent down, Shanghai and Taipei shed at least 2 per cent and Bangkok gave up 5 per cent. The losses tracked sharp falls in Europe and Wall Street on Friday.
“PSX has triggered a market halt at 9:37 am which will last for 45 minutes,” the management wrote in a press release. “The market halt is triggered as a standard protocol for risk management purposes.”
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given a “hypothetical worst-case scenario” that shows Pakistan’s economy sustaining a whopping $5 billion loss due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, in which case Pakistan’s GDP will go down by 1.57% and 946,000 people will be unemployed, The Express Tribune reported.
According to the report published Friday, the global GDP will also be affected from $77 billion in the best-case scenario to $347 billion in the worst-case scenario, with China affected the most.
ADB projected that Pakistan’s economy may face $16 to $61 million losses due to the spread of COVID-19, while in a one-page paper issued by Tola Associate — tax and corporate advisors — it was also claimed that the economy of the country will sustain a $5 billion loss due to coronavirus.
The firm based its claim on an ADB publication.
According to the estimates published by the ADB the impact of the coronavirus, in terms of the global GDP ranges from $77 billion in best case scenario to $347 billion in worst-case scenario, or 0.1% to 0.4% of the global GDP.
The report said the total losses likely to be sustained by Pakistan will be only $16.23 million in best case scenario. It projected that in best case scenario, Pakistan’s agriculture and mining sector could sustain a loss of $5.5 million; business trade, personal and public service $5.54 million; hotels and restaurants $0.67 million; light and heavy manufacturing $3.6 million and transport services $0.92 million.
In moderate case scenario, the projected losses to be faced by Pakistan are $34.2 million. In worst case scenario, the projected losses to be faced by Pakistan are $60.8 million.
In the worst case scenario, Pakistan’s agriculture and mining sector will face $21.7 million losses; business and trade $18.8 million losses; hotel and restaurants $2.4 million losses; light and heavy engineering $14.6 million losses; and transport services $3.4 million.
While discussing the hypothetical worst case scenario, the ADB projected that Pakistan’s economy will lose $5 billion. There will be $1.5 billion loss to agriculture and mining; $1.94 billion to business and trade; $253.7 million in hotel and restaurants; $671 million to light and heavy engineering and $565.6 million loss to transport services.
In addition to the global slowdown, the fear caused by the COVID-19 is going to cause an estimated loss of $1.5 trillion across the globe in hypothetical worst case scenario. The lockdown has slowed down the pace of the Chinese economy, if compared to the last 30 years.
Coronavirus losses will depend on the magnitude of the problem and the scale of the underlying uncertainties in countries which have strong trade and production linkages with China, according to the Tola Associate.
According to the ADB estimates, around 946,000 people will be unemployed in Pakistan in hypothetical worst case scenario. The net effect of the drop in oil prices due to coronavirus is neutral, yet alarmingly negative for the economy of Pakistan.
If this crisis prolongs, it will eventually lead to a significant increase in expenditures; a further slowdown in tax collection; a rise in inflation; and an increase in the fiscal deficit.
Airlines could lose up to $113 billion in revenues this year due to the coronavirus, equivalent to the damage experienced by the industry during the financial crisis, AFP quoted a trade body as warning.
The dire prediction came as Flybe — a British airline — collapsed into bankruptcy with the virus, which has killed over 3,200 people worldwide, dealing a fatal blow to the ailing regional carrier.
With the disease now rapidly spreading outside China, demand for air travel is nose-diving globally, spelling serious trouble for many already struggling carriers. In a new assessment of the impact, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated revenue losses to airlines’ passenger business of between $63 billion and $113 billion in 2020.
The higher figure is for a scenario where the virus spreads more widely, and would be equivalent to the hit to the industry during the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, the group warned.
The “industry’s prospects in much of the world have taken a dramatic turn for the worse”, said IATA head Alexandre de Juniac, and appealed to governments for support. “Airlines are doing their best to stay afloat,” he said. “As governments look to stimulus measures, the airline industry will need consideration for relief on taxes, charges and slot allocation. These are extraordinary times.”
Flybe had narrowly avoided going bust in January when the United Kingdom (UK) government agreed to review air passenger duty paid by its customers — and shareholders pledged extra investment.
But it finally collapsed after the government reportedly refused a rescue loan for £100 million ($128 million).
In further bad news Thursday, Norwegian Air scrapped its 2020 earnings guidance after earlier predicting a return to profit following several years of losses.
Other recent high-profile aviation industry casualties in Europe include French carriers Aigle Azur and XL Airways, as well as Slovenia’s Adria Airways.
Meanwhile, travel analytics company ForwardKeys said the number of new flight bookings to Europe fell by 79 percent in the final week of February due to the outbreak.
IATA’s assessment was far bleaker than just two weeks ago, when it forecast revenue losses would come in at $29.3 billion. But since then the virus has spread rapidly outside China, and has now reached some 80 countries and territories, infecting more than 95,000 people. The vast majority of global deaths and infections are in China, which quarantined entire cities, temporarily shut factories and closed schools indefinitely after the virus emerged.
IATA predicted that worldwide passenger revenues would fall between 11 and 19 percent this year. The impact on Asia-Pacific carriers will be bigger than during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-2003, as the Chinese travel market is far bigger now, said IATA chief economist Brian Pearce.
Like the new virus, SARS emerged in China before spreading to numerous countries, killing hundreds. A plunge in oil prices caused by the virus could cut airlines’ fuel costs by up to $28 billion this year, which would provide some relief but would not have a significant impact, the body added.
With the sixth case of coronavirus being confirmed in India, the Hindu Mahasabha — a political organisation formed to protect the rights of the Hindu community and to safeguard Hinduism — has decided to organise a gaumutra [cow urine] party to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread in New Delhi.
As per the details, Party President Chakrapani Maharaj has told The Print that there was a need to create greater awareness among the people on “how cow urine and cow dung, besides consuming cow products, can help eliminate coronavirus”.
“Just like we organise tea parties, we have decided to organise a gaumutra party, wherein we will inform people about what is coronavirus and how, by consuming cow-related products, people can be saved from it,” Maharaj, who heads one of the two factions of the Mahasabha, said.
“The event will have counters that will provide gaumutra for people to consume. At the same time, we will also put cow products like cow-dung cakes and agarbatti made from that. Upon using these, the virus will die immediately.”
The event will be first organised at Hindu Mahasabha Bhawan in Delhi, following which such ‘parties’ will be held across the country.
“We are in touch with gaushalas (cow shelters) across the country, who can collaborate and work with us in our mission to eliminate corona,” he said, adding that coronavirus had come to India because some ministers angered it by publicly consuming chicken.
Local English daily had claimed student quarantined at private Karachi hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus had ‘conclusively tested negative for the disease‘
Sindh health officials have rebutted a media report claiming that the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan, which was reported in Karachi last week, “had turned out to be a hoax” as the 22-year-old patient, who was quarantined at a private hospital under strong suspicions of coronavirus, had “conclusively tested negative for the disease”.
According to The News, Karachi University (KU) student Syed Muhammad Yahya Jafri had recently returned from Iran and developed symptoms of influenza.
“The symptoms, coupled with the fact that he had recently returned from Iran, made the doctors and senior provincial health management prematurely declare him as the first case of coronavirus in Pakistan without receiving his final lab reports wherein he tested negative for the virus,” the report had said.
It had quoted KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi as confirming that Jafri’s medical and laboratory reports “clearly indicated he was not suffering from coronavirus”.
“Jafri and his family members who were quarantined by Sindh’s Health Department at a private hospital were discharged on Friday,” he was quoted as saying, adding that a large number of students, including Jafri’s classmates at the varsity’s Department of International Relations, were also tested in the same hospital. “None of them were found affected by coronavirus.”
The claims were, however, refuted by Sindh Health Secretary Zahid Abbasi, who said that the youngster was being kept in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus.
In what is being termed as a major win against the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — for China, the country has discharged a total of 36,117 patients from hospitals after recovery, official state-run Chinese press agency, Xinhua, reported.
The criteria for deciding if a patient has recovered varies between provinces, but in general, Chinese hospitals require people to test negative twice in a row, and to show no obvious symptoms such as a fever. Patients who are released are supposed to check in with their hospital and can face retesting — which is when some tested positive again.
A total of 36,117 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital after recovery by the end of Thursday, reports quoted Chinese health officials as saying on Friday.
Thursday saw 3,622 people walk out of hospital after recovery, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.
By the end of Thursday, a total of 78,824 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions of mainland China, and 2,788 people had died of the disease.
Meanwhile, another report quoted a key Chinese respiratory disease expert as saying that some discharged coronavirus patients could still carry the virus and be infectious, potentially posing another complication to Beijing’s efforts to control the epidemic.
Zhao Jianping, the head of the coronavirus containment team in worst-affected Hubei province, said a minority of patients who were discharged from hospital after tests showed they were negative for the virus later tested positive again. China counts patients whose throat or nose swabs show up positive for the virus in a nucleic acid test, and those whose CT scans show lesions in their lungs, as infected cases.
It is pertinent to note that the news of recoveries from China — epicentre of the virus — comes as the world fights a global outbreak of the disease. While cases are being reported in the United States (US), Europe and the Middle East, Pakistan has also confirmed the presence of virus with first two infections.
The presence of coronavirus in Pakistan was confirmed on Wednesday, with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, tweeting the reaffirmation.
220/ I can confirm first two cases of corona virus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable. No need to panic, things are under control. I will hold press conf tomorrow on return from Taftan.
Dr Mirza also addressed a joint press conference with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan late on Wednesday night confirming the two cases in Karachi in Islamabad.
The SAPM, while urging calm across the country, confirmed that the first patient along with his family had been quarantined. The 22-year-old man in question had returned to Pakistan from Iran on February 20, with all passengers from the flight set to be tracked and tested. At least 100 patients have been tested negative thus far.
