The provincial government has requested the Sindh High Court to only allow hearings of urgent cases due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. “The Sindh government in pursuance of decisions made by Provincial Task Force and in order to control rise of Covid-19 cases has requested Chief Justice of Sindh High Court to only take up urgent court matters so that the Hon’ble Judges, learned lawyers, court staff & litigants are protected,” tweeted Sindh government Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab along with a letter he sent to SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh. In the letter, Wahab spoke about the recent surge in active cases of Covid-19 and the rising death toll because of it. He informed the SHC that the provincial task force on Covid-19 is monitoring the situation daily and has taken multiple measures to curtail the spread of the virus. Wahab appreciated the SHC CJ for taking “very effective and efficient measures in controlling and containing the severity of the disease” in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “The current situation demands reiteration of the similar earlier administrative measures taken and implemented by your honour last year. I would, therefore, request and urge if the routine court work is suspended and only matters of urgent nature are fixed for hearing,” said Wahab in the letter. The meeting which Wahab had referred to in the letter decided a day earlier that all schools, colleges and universities will remain closed in the province due to the rising coronavirus cases in the provinces. Wahab tweeted that Sindh government offices will operate with an essential staff of 20 percent only as the country battles a dangerous third wave of coronavirus.