NATIONAL Coordination Committee (NCC) at its meet ing in Islamabad on Wednesday took a realistic assess ment of the ground situation and decided to extend the period of the restrictions imposed as precautionary measures amid the Corona Virus outbreak in the country. Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar later told newsmen that the existing arrangements would continue for another two weeks and a decision to tighten or lighten the partial lockdown would be taken on the basis of the evolving situation. The extension of the ‘restrictions’, as the Minister preferred to call them, is an indirect admission on the part of the Government that virtual lockdown is the only workable strategy against the fast spreading virus. He also observed that the lockdown had significantly added to the government’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus and that is why it has decided to continue the restrictions, except for the goods transportation, for two more weeks. The rationality of the decision is understood from the fact that the virus continues to affect more and more people with the passage of every day.According to SpecialAssistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza the instance of virus is increasing on an average 12% daily and as the overall number of affected people increases the number of daily additions also increases and that is why we witnessed biggest jump in cases for the third consecutive day onWednesday when the tally of infected people reached 2238 and that of deaths to 31. Prime Minister Imran Khan also said during NCC meeting that the rate of infection would increase and the number may increase to fifty thousand. At a separate news briefing, PML(N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal and Musaddiq Malik expressed apprehensions that the number could reach between one to two hundred thousand if the option of total lockdown was not exercised right now. They had a point in saying that the low reporting is because of lack of testing facilities, which should be increased significantly. They had a genuine point in demanding that the Government should put on hold all other plans and programmes and divert available resources for controlling the virus as it is question of life and death of the people. There is a viewpoint that the spread of the virus may witness a downward trend with the increase in temperature but there is also potent danger that flies may become carriers of the virus. Therefore, it is responsibility of the civic bodies as well as private companies responsible for lifting of garbage and sweeping to ensure proper cleaning of all localities to stem growth of flies and mosquitoes, otherwise the situation would compound further imperilling lives of more people. It is time the Federal and Provincial Governments move speedily to save lives and take measures to protect citizens against adverse economic impact of the disease. These might include, among others, immediate release of tax refund to resolve liquidity crisis as has been demanded by industrialists and investors; additional cut in interest rate by the State Bank of Pakistan, further reduction in the prices of POL products as prices of oil in the global market have come down to $20 a barrel, reduction in electricity and gas tariff and possible waiver of bills for the poor and the middle class and sufficient cash grants for families whose bread-earner is quarantined. Punjab government has announced a Rs. 18 billion package to provide relief to the business and industry and the common man and waiver of property and professional tax for three months, lowering of stamp duty and taxes on transfer of property from existing six to two per cent and reduction in sales tax and infrastructure development cess would surely mitigate sufferings of the people and the industry. These measures need to be replicated in other provinces and at the Centre as well to provide meaningful relief to the people. Punjab has also done well by relaxing restrictions of Section-144 in the province by allowing movement of implements and machinery for harvesting of wheat. This is important as we cannot afford any loss to the wheat crop especially at this critical juncture.
