PUNJAB Government has taken a wise decision to close down bazaars and shopping malls three days ahead of Eid-ul-Azha as part of the strategy to check the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. The move is likely to be resisted by the business community, which, generally, behaves in a self-centred manner but hopefully the provincial government would remain firm and other provincial governments should also follow the suit.
There is no doubt that the number of confirmed Corona cases and fatalities are constantly decreasing across the country owing to the government’s successful policy of smart lockdown and people’s adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs). The statement of Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah released on Monday is also encouraging which said at least 897 people had recovered across the province over the past 24 hours, bumping the tally to 92,934 and translating into an 81% recovery rate. Balochistan also reported lowest number of cases, which is also a positive indication as far as spread of the virus is concerned. However, based on what happened during Eid-ul-Fitr, there is every reason to adopt precautionary measures to prevent repetition of the situation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. The decision to close down markets three days ahead of Eid is important in view of large-scale non-observance of SOPs and adoption of precautionary measures by the general public. On the other hand, Private Schools Association has threatened to open educational institutions in mid-August, a move fraught with serious consequences. The Government has already decided to open all educational institutions from September 15 based on another review of the situation close to the deadline and talks should be held with owners of private schools to allay their fears.
