Says Corona to peak in Pakistan by end of July or early August; Urges public to wear face masks, follow SOPs
Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday cases of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan would hit a peak by the end of July or start of August but warned of “a very difficult time” ahead if people continued to ignore the standard operating procedures.
Appealing to the citizens to follow precautionary measures, PM Imran said not following the precautionary measures “will cause harm to the country”.
The lockdown to curb the spread of the respiratory illness does not end it but only slows it down, the premier explained. “In the United States, the lockdown was lifted despite 100,000 deaths,” he said, adding that America eased its restrictions with SOPs.
“Likewise, our struggle is to open things with SOPs. Our priority is that the peak comes slowly so that our healthcare does not collapse, so that our hospitals do not face pressure as the peak is inevitable.
“According to our calculations, we can manage with SOPs; the peak is likely to come by the end of July or [start of] August. PM Imran said it was necessary to resume and continue business operations but stressed that people should follow the preventive and precautionary measures.
“I am making an appeal: please note that the elderly — with preexisting medical conditions — are at too high a risk,” he said. “People are not taking the virus seriously, not following the SOPs.”
If people violated the SOPs, Pakistan’s elderly and the vulnerable were at high risk and that would endanger the entire country, he said. Face masks were mandatory when going out, he noted, “as it’s proven that wearing masks brings a difference of 50%”.
His government, PM Imran mentioned, would add nearly 1,000 beds to reduce the pressure on the health facilities. “We are trying to have 1,000 beds with oxygen at the end of month,” he said, adding that there was a mobile application as well that informed people about the availability of beds in any city.
The premier was talking about the Pak Nigehban app launched by the National Command and Operations Centre to check the availability of ventilators in hospitals across Pakistan.
The premier said that majority of the people were flouting SOPs, thinking the virus was just a common flu. “If we continue to ignore SOPs, then we are putting the lives of the vulnerable in danger,” he said.
“Please wear masks, this is very important. The world has realised that masks can prevent the spread by up to 50 per cent. Secondly, when you venture into public places, follow the guidelines that have been issued by the government.”
“We already know that the virus will spread, the trend that our experts have observed is that it spreads, then peaks and then the curve flattens.
