Asad Umar, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, has urged people to observe caution during the final days of Ramadan as Pakistan faces the third COVID-19 surge.
The minister encouraged the public to observe Eid with care and simplicity in a statement. He went on to say that Pakistan was not in the same position as India because of God’s grace and the government’s timely decisions.
Asad Umar tweeted, “Let’s spend this important time together while being cautious.”
رمضان المبارک کے آخری چند دن اور عید سادگی اور احتیاط سے منائیے. اللہ کے کرم سے اور بروقت فیصلوں سے ہمارے ملک میں وہ حالات نہیں ہوئے جو پڑوس میں ہیں. آئیں مل کر اس اہم ترین وقت کو احتیاط سے گزاریں. جمعتہ الوداع مبارک. #StayHomeStaySafe
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) May 7, 2021
According to the National Command and Operation Centre, 44,846 tests were conducted throughout the country in the last 24 hours, yielding 4,298 new positive cases of coronavirus infection. The national COVID-19 positivity ratio is 9.5%.
140 people have died as a result of the outbreak in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people that have died to 18677. From May 8 to May 16, Pakistan has launched a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” campaign. Chand Raat bazaars, including mehndi, jewellery, and clothes stalls, will be prohibited.
Interprovincial, intercity, and intra-city public transportation will also be prohibited.
As Ramadan draws closer and the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays arrive, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan cautioned Pakistanis of a “very risky period ahead.”
“We are today in the midst of the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic and while there may be very initial signs of some stability (in the third wave), these are very early days and this is a very risky period for us as the holy month of Ramazan is going to end and Eid is approaching,” he said during a webinar.
Microbiologists and scientists, he said, should continue to educate people about the risks of the coronavirus and urge them to adopt normal operating methods to prevent transmission.
Microbiologists, molecular biologists, medical practitioners, and students from Pakistan and abroad attended the webinar, titled SOPs and vaccination: Solution for the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Dr Sultan claimed that the curve in Punjab is flattening, and that the same was true in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said continued that coronavirus cases were on the increase in Sindh as a result of poor adherence to SOPs by the general public, and that now was not the time to relax since Pakistan still had over 5,200 people in critical treatment.
“Covid-19 cases may rise again if precautions are not taken during this critical period when we are seeing the last days of the holy month of Ramazan and Eid is a festive season,” he said.
