ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday directed army commanders to take maximum necessary measures to assist the civil administration vis-à-vis safety and well-being of the people in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

According to the ISPR, all medical facilities of armed forces are operationalized and geared up to deal with the pandemic and meet any eventuality. COVID-19 testing labs have been established at major military hospitals across the country and a central testing lab at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rawalpindi, it said. COVID-19 help desks have also been established at each military hospital for fast track handling, it added.

The ISPR statement said the armed forces of Pakistan are fully involved in assisting the government and the provincial administrations in tackling the situation since the outbreak and is duly vigilant of the developing situation.