PRESIDENT Arif Alvi on Thursday urged those suffering from flu symptoms to avoid public places, saying that he had consulted the Ulema who had said that it was permissible to pray at home and avoid congregations so as not to put other people at risk. The President’s tweet was surely motivated by his desire to check the spread of the deadly virus that has also reached Pakistan.
The advice of the President comes as the outbreak prompted authorities in Iran to call off Friday prayer congregations in several cities including Tehran. As part of the proactive preventive measures, Saudi Arabia too has temporarily suspended entry for individuals seeking to perform Umrah pilgrimage in Makkah or visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina, as well as tourists travelling from countries where the Corona-virus poses a risk as determined by the Kingdom’s health authorities. There is no doubt that the situation in Pakistan is not serious as so far just two cases have been confirmed but there is definitely need to create necessary awareness among people about precautionary measures. On its part, the Government is definitely taking necessary steps to save people from the virus but the campaign can succeed only if each and every citizen is well aware of the threat and how to contain it.
