ISLAMABAD – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give Pakistan a $300 million emergency assistance loan to boost the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant detrimental impact on the health and economic prospects of the people of Pakistan,” a press release from the ADB quoted its Vice-President Shixin Chen as saying.
“Financing through this project will fast-track ADB’s assistance to strengthen Pakistan’s public health capabilities, provide immediate support to vulnerable women and their families, and facilitate knowledge sharing with Pakistan’s neighbors and other countries in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation region,” it said further.
The ADB will provide direct cash assistance for the benefit of women in poor households via the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Assistance Package.
The loan is designed to meet the basic food needs and necessary living expenses of poor and vulnerable women and families in the South Asian country, an ADB official said.
The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to a total of 44,996 according to government data till Tuesday evening. The death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 948, according to the National Command and Control Centre, while at least 12,604 patients have fully recovered.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/19-Mar-2020/pakistan-confirms-948-deaths-covid-19-tally-nears-45-000
