Prime Minister Imran Khan has made his stance on lifting the lock-down clear as he stated the virus is not going anywhere, and we must learn to live with it as a Nation due to economic strife.
At a press conference, the Prime Minister said he was not in favour of a strict lock-down as it would cause financial grievances, and a spike in the unemployment rate, with 25 million informal or unregistered workers in the system. The lifting of tourism restrictions comes after the National Coordination Committee (NCC) has granted permission for the self-quarantine policy for infected Pakistani patients among those coming from overseas.
The PM has also claimed that different provinces are allowed to make their own decisions regarding the matter as permitted under the 18th Amendment. However, on following SOP's Imran Khan has been clear about the importance of observing safety measures, 'We have observed that only well-off people are observing SOPs but the underprivileged and common man do not follow precautionary measures without realising that if we do not take precautions then we will continue to suffer', as said measures are being blatantly ignored by the general masses, a disregard for measures to protect health, as cases increase to over 76,000. The Federal Government has made the wearing of masks compulsory.
According to Khan, the virus is not disappearing in the near future, “Unfortunately, infections will rise, as will deaths, but if we all adopt SOPs, we can reduce their numbers,” he said. “It is now up to you to determine how bad or good it gets based on how you follow the SOPs.”
Overseas citizens will now be returning to Pakistan after being stranded abroad since the beginning of the quarantine period, the PM has said the Government is aware of their miseries and they will be tested for Covid-19 upon return and go into self-quarantine to contain the spread as much as possible.
We need to take safety measures and SOPs seriously as we are approaching the second wave of lockdown. The Government has decided to not impose a second lock-down despite the worsening situation, as Covid-19 continues to spread.
