KARACHI: Badin city in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, which has reported more than 400 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, is so far safe from the epidemic — and one local man has resolved to ensure that his city’s tally remains at zero.
Abdul Karim Odhejo, a student who heads the Badin Youth Organization and has been raising awareness about social distancing rules since the virus first broke out in Pakistan last month, has set up two mobile sanitizing stations, with sinks and hand sanitizers, in Badin, a city of 400,000. The sinks can be found at Qazia Wah and DHQ Hospital in the city.
“Our small city of Badin has remained safe from the virus until now and we want it to stay that way,” Odhejo told Arab News on Thursday
“We decided to build washbasins and place hand sanitizers at a couple of places in our city to help people stay clean and safe,” said Odhejo who turned to websites like Google and YouTube to learn how to make the portable sinks.
After producing a few sinks, Odhejo requested people on Twitter for help, wanting to expand the initiative to Karachi and Sukkur, Sindh’s worst-hit cities.
Help us to operate such Hand washing places at different areas of Karachi and Sukkur. If you've drum that's of no use. Kindly donate us for this better cause.
Spread the word.#SindhFightsCorona #SindhSelfQuarantine pic.twitter.com/zWUwSR5TCa— Abdul Karim Odhejo (@KarimOdhejo) March 21, 2020
“If we get requisite help and material, we can make hundreds of such washbasins for people to wash their hands, keep themselves clean, and give awareness to others,” Odhejo said. “We are facing the worst challenge … But if we wash our hands and maintain distance from others we may stop this dangerous virus from spreading further.
Another country that has officially followed this route is Rwanda, which is guarding against the spread of coronavirus by flooding its capital with portable sinks at bus stops, restaurants, banks and shops across the capital Kigali. Rwanda has not recorded any cases of the virus so far
Health experts say the coronavirus spreads primarily through tiny droplets coughed or sneezed from an infected person and then inhaled by another. Vigilant hygiene can prevent transmission, they say.
On its website, the US Centers for Disease Control lists frequent hand-washing for at least 20 seconds and disinfection of surfaces with an alcohol-based cleaner as methods of prevention. Scientists have yet to develop a vaccine to prevent the disease.
The number of confirmed cases in Pakistan has soared to more than 1,000 this week, largely driven by a wave of pilgrims returning from Iran who Pakistani authorities said were inadequately tested and improperly isolated. At least eight people have died from the disease in Pakistan in the past week.
Thousands of people now need to undergo the slow process of retesting, and authorities fear the number of cases could surge in coming days. A near lockdown is being observed across the country and public officials have issued various advisories about social distancing and hand-washing.
