LAHORE: The Punjab government on Thursday declared a medical emergency after 20 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country this week. While addressing a press conference today, Provincial Health Minister Dr. Yasmeen Rashid said that there are 20 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Pakistan. “China took remarkable steps to combat Coronavirus. We also need to take emergency steps to contain this disease. The cabinet has declared a medical emergency today. We have allocated one billion rupees to combat this virus,” she said. The health minister further said that three hospitals of Punjab are ready to deal with Coronavirus cases. “We need to take the coronavirus epidemic seriously. Precautionary measures such as unnecessarily touching face, shaking hands should be avoided,” she said, adding that precautionary measures will help in curbing the spread of the virus. Rashid added, “If an emergency has been declared, people need to take the situation seriously. Public gatherings needs to be avoided.” Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus reached 20 on Wednesday after Gigit-Baltistan reported its second coronavirus case, a spokesperson for the GB government, Faizullah Firaq, said.