Pakistan recently announced the lifting of lockdown measures from the 10th of August. Businesses ranging from malls, cinemas, shopping centres, restaurants and gyms etc are all functioning normally once again, with the necessary implementation of SOPs.

Schools are yet to open, pending approval on September 7th from the Provincial Government in Sindh. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has stated that the COVID cases are currently on a decline but this does not mean that the situation should go back to pre-coronovirus days. Asad Umar echoed his sentiments when announcing that COVID is most definitely not over.

“This doesn’t mean that coronavirus has been eliminated or contained but it teaches us that the virus still exists and we have to learn how to live with it until its vaccine is prepared,” the CM said.

With a 92% recovery rate, fewer than 550 new cases and 15 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, seeing a decline of almost 82% in the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan has emphasised the 'smart lockdown' strategy, exercised in the worst hit areas by the pandemic, is to be credited for the decline in cases and management of COVID cases. Although Khan's policies have been criticised by political opponents, the world observes a 'good change' as well as attitude towards handling the crisis Bozkir, who is the president elect of the UN General Assembly himself expressed Pakistan's dealing with the pandemic was better than most countries.

“Pakistan has been a good example for the world with its polices, which handled the pandemic related policy very well,” Bozkir told reporters in Islamabad after his meetings with Khan and other top Government officials on Monday.

With the Government securing the lifting of lockdown, restaurants and other businesses have begun to open up as the country has seen a positive decline in cases, but officials have advised that caution must not be forsaken. Standard Operating Procedures and other measures must be strictly implemented as coronavirus has not disappeared, despite the number of cases decreasing.

“Pakistan is on a vertical downward trend…We feel that we have managed to get to a point where the first wave is close to over for us,” said Moeed Yusuf.

Assistant to the PM on National Security, Yusuf did not rule out a potential comeback or second wave of COVID. The Minister also claimed that the hospitals were 'almost empty' currently. As the situation shows signs of commendable improvement, we can hope that the public do not renounce any protective or preventative measures to avoid a relapse of the coronavirus decline.