Imran Khan's smart lockdown policy garners universal praise
Imran Khan's smart lockdown policy garners universal praise
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister Imran Khan’s smart lockdown strategy in mitigating the negative effects of coronavirus has been appreciated across the world by the media and leading scientists. Today, the policy of smart lockdown is not only being praised but most countries are moving towards revival of their economies hving adopted this strategy.
Coronavirus poses a big challenge at the global stage and stopping the spread of the virus and restoring economic activities is the foremost priority of all governments. The pandemic has not only affected developing countries but has also shaken strong economies to the core.
Amid the panic, Pakistan took a more pragmatic path with Prime Minister Imran Khan making farsighted decisions despite opposition. He took the bold step to implement smart lockdowns policy. This not only reduced the spread of the virus significantly but also allowed economic activity, giving relief to the unemployed.
Prime Minister Imran Khan termed smart lockdown as the only solution to deal with coronavirus and allowed economic activities with precautionary measures in place.
Over time, the Prime Minister’s critical decision proved fruitful and the world was forced to acknowledge it, with most countries and international organizations supporting Imran Khan’s strategy of striking a balance between addressing both health and economic concerns of the general public.
Nations also appreciated the timely and transparent cash relief package for the poor and deserving class of the country. The package provided assistance to more than 12 million affected families.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s balanced strategy to deal with the dire situation caused by coronavirus has also been praised by the media and leading scientists around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Pakistan’s effective coronavirus policy. On June 6, the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, tweeted on social networking website Twitter that he was happy to see a decrease in number of cases in Pakistan since June. He also praised Pakistan’s strong surveillance to combat the coronavirus.
Bloomberg also called the Smart Lockdown policy the only way forward, through which the world can return to normalcy until the Covid-19 vaccine arrives.
According to the British newspaper Daily Mail, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Michael Levitt warned in May that complete lockdowns could cost more lives than it saves because the decision to lock people in their homes has been made out of fear rather than scientific principles.
In a telephonic conversation on April 29, Bill Gates, the head of the American company Microsoft, also praised the policy of Prime Minister Imran Khan against coronavirus.
Many international organizations also disagree with complete and extended lockdowns during coronavirus. According to Oxfam, hunger levels are rising sharply in middle-income countries such as India, South Africa and Brazil and millions have reached the brink of poverty.
According to the Oxfam report, a complete lockdown by the Indian government has left millions fighting hunger and 40 million unemployed.
Due to the implementation of smart lockdowns across Pakistan, the number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has dropped to less than 30,000.
Seven major hospitals in Lahore have been cleared of coronavirus patients while only 153 patients remain in the city’s five government and 19 private hospitals.
The significant reduction in coronavirus cases in the country indicates that the government’s timely decision has not only reduced the spread of the pandemic, but has also greatly relieved the affected sections of society through the promotion of economic activities.
