Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing with essential medical supplies to combat COVID-19 pandemic.

Ghani took to Twitter to express his gratitude towards the Government of India and the people of India for providing Afghanistan with hydroxychloroquine tablets, paracetamol tablets, and wheat.

He said: “Thank you, my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and thank you India for providing 500K tablets of hydroxychloroquine, 100K tablets of paracetamol, and 75,000 metric tons of wheat that the first consignment of it (5,000) will reach AFG in a day or so, for the Afghan people.”

He added: “Thank you also for further commitments to supply more items including medicines and equipment as availability increases in India. In the difficult times of COVID-19, closer cooperation between allies and friends will prepare us better to fight this menace and save our people.”

Indian Prime Minister Modi replied to President Ghani on Twitter and said that both the countries share a special friendship, based on ties of history, geography, and culture. He said: “India and Afghanistan share a special friendship, based on ties of history, geography, and culture. For long, we have fought jointly against the scourge of terrorism. We will similarly combat COVID-19 together, with solidarity and shared resolve. Ashraf Ghani.”

At least 50 trucks carrying wheat provided by India arrived in the Afghan province of Nimroz today.

According to the officials, the Indian government has sent the mentioned cargo aiming to support its trade partner during the coronavirus pandemic.

The consignment is comprised of 203 20-metric-feet containers that have been shipped from Kandla Port in eastern India.

Adviser to Pakistan Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Ajmal Wazir said seven quarantine centres have been set up in the Khyber tribal district for people returning from Afghanistan which could accommodate 1,500 people.

He said this during a visit to inaugurate the Quarantine Centre at Jamrud established in 30 days record time in Khyber district, said an official handout.

The adviser added that 713 people have come from Afghanistan so far who have been quarantined at the centres. About the returnees from Afghanistan, Ajmal Wazir said they will be placed first in quarantine centres, followed by isolation and thereafter in high-dependency units. Of the coronavirus cases situation in KP, the adviser said 1, 37 positive cases have been reported across the province to date. He added that 226 coronavirus infected patients have recovered while 60 deaths reported until now in the province.

A total of 108 truck drivers returning from Afghanistan underwent tests and 37 of them tested positive for coronavirus, said a senior Pakistani official.

Khyber tribal district Deputy Commissioner Mehmood Aslam Wazir told The News that 713 persons, including women and children, have returned from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the last three days via Torkham border crossing.

These included 195 truck drivers and their helpers. The official said according to rules, they got conducted coronavirus tests of 108 drivers and the helpers. He said the 37 of the people tested positive for the coronavirus, adding all returnees had been kept in Landikotal and Jamrud quarantine centres.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has confirmed that the fourth doctor has died of the coronavirus in the country.

The spokesman of MoPH, Wahidullah Mayar in a press conference on Monday said that Muhammad Dawood Poya a doctor at the provincial hospital of Jawzjan province and the head of Shinozada hospital in Kabul died of the coronavirus on Sunday night.

According to Mayar, at least 110 health personnel have been infected with the coronavirus in the country so far.

He noted that the infected personnel include 90 men and 20 women that most of them are from Herat and Kandahar province.

This comes as the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country reaches 1026.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) says at least 30 new cases of the coronavirus were registered in the country during the past 24 hours.

The spokesman of MoPH, Wahidullah Mayar in a press conference said that with the registration of the new cases, the number of people infected with the coronavirus in the country reaches 1026.

According to Mayar, the new cases include 15 in Kabul, 4 in Laghman, 4 in Kunar, 6 in Herat and one in Nangarhar province.

He noted that at least four patients were recovered during the past 24 hours and three others died of the virus in Kabul, Kandahar and Balkh provinces.

This comes as the number of recovered patients in Afghanistan reaches 135 and the death toll reaches 36.

Amid increasing number of the COVID-19 positive cases in the country, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has announced relief in taxes for medical firms in order to battle the fatal disease.

In a joint statement, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investigation (ACCI) and the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum asked the Ministry of Finance to bring relief in taxes for the medical firms.

The statement said during the battle against COVID-19, the government should extend all possible relief in taxes to commercial firms particularly to medical firms. The source said people had to buy medicines during the pandemic, but prices of such materials had increased in the market.

It added the National Tariff Committee had decided to give relief in taxes to medical firms for two months.

Officials at the Department of Public Health in Herat province say at least six new cases of the coronavirus were registered in the province during the past 24 hours.

The spokesman of Herat Public Health Department, Muhammad Rafiq Sherzai said 54 suspected cases of coronavirus were tested during the past 24 hours which six of them were confirmed positive.

According to Sherzai, the new cases include four men and two women.

This comes as the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Herat province reached 334 with seven deaths and 75 recovered patients.

Adviser to the Pakistan’s Chief Minister KP on Information, Ajmal Wazir Sunday said 713 people repatriated from Afghanistan were kept in seven quarantine centres established in district Khyber having a capacity of around 1500 people.

Addressing a news conference in Jamrud, district Khyber, Ajmal Wazir said 713 people were so far arrived from Afghanistan, who were kept in these quarantine centers with provision of all facilities.

He said 319 people including 108 male and 211 female were accommodated at Shakas Qurantine Centre, adding a qurantine centre at Jamrud Fort with a capacity of 300 individuals had been setup that would be used as a Model Isolation Village because of modern facilities like attached washrooms etc.

Wazir said people upon return from Afghanistan would be first kept in quarantine centres, then in isolation and later on high dependency units. “Best facilities are being provided to our brothers in these quarantine centers while a camp office was established at Jalalabad consulate,” he added.