PM announces 'selective lockdowns' as Covid-19 cases surge across Pakistan
PM announces 'selective lockdowns' as Covid-19 cases surge across Pakistan
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that safety measures against coronavirus will be tightened across the country. He said that from now on, coronavirus hotspots will be actively tracked and those areas will be put under selective lockdowns.
Commenting on the situation of coronavirus with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and other cabinet members, the PM said that it would not be possible to put Punjab under complete lockdown. The country needs smart lockdown not complete lockdown, he said.
He said that coronavirus cases are spreading rapidly in Lahore but locking down the whole city would be synonymous to choking the city’s economy as a major portion of the population lives below the poverty line.
Continuing, Imran Khan said that lock down had been implemented on March 13, the same time that New York also enforced lockdown, and it faced mass bankruptcies and unemployment, while Pakistan also had added difficulties in formulating its budget 2020-21.
Imran Khan said that the public is not acting responsibly, the country can run only when people take responsibility for the greater good. He warned that if SOPs are not followed, the number of cases will spread even quicker.
He has ordered the authorities concerned to take appropriate measures to ensure implementation of the SOPs in Punjab and take stern action against its violation. He also lauded the efforts of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar and praised his performance for the development of the province.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister was given detailed briefing about the measures taken for the check spread of Coronavirus in the province. The meeting decided to take special measures to contain the rapid spread of Coronavirus in the province in general and in Lahore in particular.
Governor of the Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Chairman NDMA Lt. General Muhammad Afzal, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahbaz Gil, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and other authorities attended the meeting.
