M YOUNUS KHOKHAR
IN the United Kingdom, where the peak of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is about a couple of weeks away, the Government has been flexing it muscle to grapple with the pandemic and meet the challenges posed by it. It has beefed up its curative services to empower them to be able to allow hospitalisation of thousands of people at a time to provide them round-the-clock care and treatment. On the preventive side, the Public Health Department has been geared up to take drastic measures to interrupt the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 (commonly known as Corona Virus) and control its spread. The prime health care agency — National Health Service (NHS) that spends nearly £135 billion pounds every year on the health of Britons has been immediately provided extra £5 billion pounds to combat COVID-19. This would enable NHS to have 8,000 more beds, nearly1,200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff. This is in addition to NHS’s own army of over 566,000 health professionals all over the country. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has assured the NHS that the Government would pump in as much funds as required to combat the pandemic. The extra resources secured by the health service will not only be available to treat Corona Virus patients, but will also help the NHS deliver other urgent operations and cancer treatments. NHS has announced that its hospitals across the country are taking a range of actions to fortify their preparedness by freeing up 30,000 of the overall 100,000 beds by postponing non-urgent operations. On the preventive side, the Government has taken a series of measures designed to interrupt the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and to control the transmission of highly contagious COVID-19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced an allocation of £46 million as part of a package to develop Corona Virus vaccine and kits for rapid tests of suspected cases. Officials are working to increase the number of tests that can be conducted by Public Health England and the NHS to 25,000 a day. But Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says that this target will not be met until the end of April 2020 owing to the shortage of the chemical that is needed to test the patients. Nearly 150,000 people have so far been tested of which well over 25,000 have been confirmed positive. All schools have shut their gates and they will remain closed until further notice as part of the country’s ongoing response to Corona Virus. However, children of key workers such as NHS staff, police and supermarket drivers will continue to attend schools in order to allow their parents to concentrate on their jobs without any disruption. Colleges and Universities have also been closed and teachers, working from home, have been uploading lessons and lectures for students to continue their study. All businesses including pubs, restaurants and clothing shops stand closed. However, businesses that deal in food items and essential commodities like POL are functioning normally. Church services have been suspended and so is the case with congregations in mosques. The people are being urged to self-isolate and observe social distancing to save themselves and their loved ones from COVID-19. The Government has announced a robust scheme under which it will pay 80 per cent of wages of those whose businesses have been shut down because of Corona Virus crisis. The scheme envisages payment of up to £2,500 per worker each month to protect their jobs and incomes. The Government is also pumping close to £7 billion into the welfare system to protect people’s incomes during the Corona Virus pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is attacking the rich and the poor alike. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who will be 94 next month, has cancelled all her traditional parties as Corona Virus triggers a threat to the Royal Family. She has moved from her official residence — Buckingham Place in London — to her countryside residence — Windsor Castle — twenty-five miles away. However, her son, Crown Prince Charles, 71, who tested positive about a week ago has fully recovered following a seven-day isolation in Aberdeenshire. Another prominent public figure to have contracted Corona Virus is Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has been leading the fight against Corona Virus in the United Kingdom. His Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also been self-isolating after testing positive. As the country is heading towards the peak of COVID-19, the number of deaths each day has been on the rise. On Tuesday, the official death toll was put at 381, which is the highest number of deaths in one day since the start of the epidemic that has so far taken about 2000 lives. Youngest among those who passed away was a 13 years old boy who breathed his last in Kings College Hospital in London. —The writer is a freelance journalist and is temporarily based in the UK.
