ISLAMABAD (UCAN): Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, announced an easing of Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-coV-2) restrictions from May 9 despite a record spike in new cases.
“We are lifting the nationwide lockdown in phases beginning from Saturday. The decision has been made due to the suffering of our people,” Khan said in a televised press conference on May 7 after holding a meeting of the national coordination committee tasked with monitoring and containing the spread of the disease.
“Every sector is reeling under difficulties at present. Small traders, rickshaw and taxi drivers, as well as labourers, are facing great hardships. I feel very proud to say that in our country the virus did not peak the way it was seen in Europe and other rich countries. You saw what happened in Europe. Their hospitals ran out of space and their doctors and paramedic staff were under huge pressure. By the grace of God, this was not the case in Pakistan,” he said.
However, Khan warned the lockdown could be reinstated if people failed to follow government social distancing guidelines.
“It is now a collective responsibility of the entire nation to show discipline and take precautions. There are SOPs (standard operating procedures) for everything. There are SOPs for opening factories. There are SOPs for opening shops. There are SOPs for opening the construction sector. So if we have to come out of this successfully, we have to work together,” he added.
Father Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, hoped that the government’s decision would not jeopardise the efforts made to contain the virus.
“The government is obviously more concerned about the plight of daily wagers and other low-income groups. But it should keep in mind that this can turn out to be a risky move in view of the virus situation,” he said.
“The government should at least have issued strict guidelines such as mandatory wearing of face masks and enforcement of SOPs regarding social distancing in offices, workplaces and factories.”
Father Diego expressed his concerns about workers travelling from one place to another while public transport is unavailable.
“If the government has decided to reopen businesses, it should have allowed public transport with certain conditions. Mandatory thermal scanning before entering or exiting a workplace should also be considered,” he added.
The decision to ease restrictions came a day after Pakistan reported 1,523 new Covid-19 cases, its highest single day figure since the imposition of the lockdown. As of May 8, Pakistan had 24,644 confirmed cases including 585 deaths.
