Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressing the nation on Friday to explain and defend the government’s decision to ease the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, said: “We have to live with the virus this year.”
The premier said that he would like to especially address the medical community, because he is aware of how alarmed they were at the announcement of an ease in curbs, given the pressure it would create on medical facilities.
“I assure you my government has full realisation of what sort of pressures you must face, [given your profession and especially] with regard to your families and children.”
He said it is important for the medical community to understand how a country tackles a problem of this magnitude, the choices it has to make, and the repercussions the decisions have on the whole society.
Imran stressed that the virus is here to stay for another year or two and it is our collective responsibility to follow the SOPs and mandated guidelines.
“Out of every 100 coronavirus cases, only three to four have to be hospitalised. But as the number of cases increases, the number of hospitalisations will also rise.”
The PM warned that the lockdown could be reimposed in areas where the number of infections rose rapidly. “We have things under control,” said PM. He said that when he had addressed the nation on April 14, projections made till May 14 had predicted 52,695 cases and 1,324 deaths versus real figures of 35,700 cases and 770 deaths. “So our hospitals did not see the kind of pressure we had expected.”
“If someone had told me with certainty that we need to keep the country locked down for three months and then we will defeat the virus. We could have done it. We would have dedicated all our resources to fighting it and would have tried to ensure food supplies to homes without volunteers.
“But all the medical experts in the world are saying there are no signs of a vaccine this year […] so this means the virus isn’t going anywhere,” said the premier.
