THE unrelenting surge in Coronavirus cases has forced the govern
ment to take notice of the grave situation as Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday warned that strict action will now be taken against those found to be violating the government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for curbing the spread of the infection, adding that he will be monitoring the situation from the Prime Minister’s Office. The decision comes as the World Health Organization has ranked Pakistan among the top 10 countries in the world reporting the highest number of new cases of Covid-19.
In an ideal situation, the decision should have been taken before easing of restrictions that have led to dramatic increase in new cases and deaths. The Government has a viewpoint about lockdown and its impact on poorer sections of the society but the way it left people on their own was a blunder. It only made appeals to the people to follow SOPs and announced plans for smart lockdown but no measures were taken for implementation of the strategy. The violation of the SOPs was not a secret as the national media has been reporting on a daily basis on the issue but district administrations and federal and provincial governments were guilty of inaction. The situation might now change as the Prime Minister himself would be monitoring the situation on a daily basis, followed by directions for action through local administration and Tiger Force. The situation can also improve if local administrations of other cities and towns follow the footsteps of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat who is instrumental against violators of SOPs and takes prompt action on identification of areas of concentration of virus. In a latest development, two sub-sectors of G-9 and Karachi Company are being sealed and similar action is expected in some other areas as well, which has sent clear message to the residents that there is no escape from observance of SOPs.
