THERE is no denying the fact that the Coronavirus situation stands improved in the country due to the effective smart lockdown policy of the government. The policy really proved helpful to protect the lives and livelihoods during the most difficult times. This success of Pakistan is also being recognized and acknowledged at the world level.
Nonetheless, the threat is not over yet and there is no need to be complacent at all until and unless the vaccine for the pandemic is developed. There are countries including those in Europe which have seen resurgence of cases in recent days. Whilst our Covid-19 fatalities remained in single digit over the last few days but the number of infections reported over the last two days should raise alarm bells as these remained over five hundred per day. This is because our people have stopped observing the health guidelines. How the situation unfolds with the reopening of schools is yet to be seen. As tweeted by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every child can go to school safely to learn. Indeed the educational institutions cannot be kept shut for an indefinite period as their closure since March has already badly affected the education of children. Though online classes were started but these did not prove much effective as the children especially those in the villages and far flung areas have no access to the internet facility. Hence, heavy responsibility rests with the educational institutions to ensure full compliance to the SOPs for the safety and better health of children. Only those students should be allowed entry to classes who are wearing masks whilst the school administration should make available hand sanitizers to the students, ensuring also that they fully observe social distancing. The local administration must remain alert and inspect the educational facilities on a regular basis. Both the federal and provincial governments must also launch awareness campaigns creating awareness amongst the parents as well as the teachers as to how they can ensure safety of the children from the pandemic.
