THE lockdown is being eased in a gradual manner in Pakistan as elsewhere in the world but there are no indications as yet that the challenge posed by COVID-19 is receding and instead it is infecting more people and taking more lives. The country on Tuesday registered its deadliest day in terms of deaths from the Coronavirus; with at least 29 people dying of the complications related to Coronavirus, taking the country’s toll to 328 deaths since the outbreak began in late February. As many as 730 more cases were reported on Tuesday throughout the country.
The rise in the number of infected people is understandable as it is said to be directly linked to the increased capacity of testing and the number is likely to increase further when the country plans to achieve the testing capacity of forty thousand per day. However, the quantum increase in the number of cases defies logic of easing restrictions that were imposed by the federal and provincial governments. The increase in the number of casualties is also worrisome and speaks volumes about state of affairs in the Corona-handling medical institutions and facilities. At a meeting in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan is reported to have expressed satisfaction that the intensity of Covid-19 was still low in Pakistan as compared to other countries, especially the United States and Europe but he stuck to his previous stance on lockdown. He urged people to maintain social distancing telling them that it was the best way to control the spread of the deadly virus in the country. However, our track record of voluntary compliance of the principle of social distancing is not good and this may lead to more complications. Sindh is implementing a stricter policy as compared to the Centre and other provinces and as a result, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the percentage of cases has dropped over the last few days. To maintain the tempo of the success of the restrictions, the provincial government has declared it will not allow congregational Taraweeh prayers, all religious gatherings such as Majalis and processions for Yaum-i-Ali and Mahafil-i-Shabeena during the holy month of Ramazan. President Arif Alvi, who kept himself actively engaged in contacts with the religious leaders, succeeded in his efforts to forge a consensus about what to do during Ramazan and now he visits different mosques of the twin-cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to see for himself whether or not the agreement with Ulema is being observed. This kind of soft pressure is necessary to convey to the mosque administrations that violations are to be taken notice of. The situation would improve further if the Prime Minister, Governors and Chief Ministers also follow the suit to ensure that SOPs are followed religiously.
