Pakistani pilgrims, who recently returned from Iran and were put in quarantine in Taftan, broke out of the quarantine center and held a protest in the border town of Pakistan-Iran over the lack of food, medical facilities and others.
They are not being taken care of, only only blankets to sleep at night, according to the demonstrators. They said the last couple of days, even the bathrooms were not washed.
The Chaghi district officials held talks with the protesters but failed. When residents and merchants carrying sticks in Taftan took to the streets and demanded the protesters go back, the protesters returned to the quarantine center.
The Taftan residents said if the pilgrims were allowed to roam freely in the area, the coronavirus could spread in their town.
Hundreds of pilgrims travel daily between Iran and Pakistan and there are concerns that the highly contagious coronavirus might be carried with them. So far, Pakistan has reported four cases of coronavirus and recently, at least three of them had traveled to Iran.