Coronavirus outbreak: Pakistan must move towards a lockdown, says Bilawal
Bilawal wants government to act now and initiate a lockdown to save lives as coronavirus cases continue to emerge in different parts of the country
March 21, 2020
"Every hour, every day that we delay is going to make dealing with the pandemic more difficult. Pakistan must move towards a lockdown," tweeted PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday, as new cases of the novel coronavirus continued to emerge in different cities across the country.
Taking to Twitter, Bilawal called on the government for "decisive action ASAP" to mitigate the coronavirus crisis.
"Pakistan must move towards a #lockdown. Every hour, every day that we delay is going to make dealing with the pandemic more difficult. We’re already late, should’ve done it earlier, need decisive action ASAP to mitigate this crisis now.
"No province can handle this alone. We need the full force of the federal government to facilitate a lockdown, increase tests and assistance for those in need. While we hope for the best we must prepare for the worst.
"At this rate our health system will be overwhelmed. We must learn from the experience of other countries. It’s a question of when not if. Stay at home now until the government makes up its mind. Stay at home to protect yourselves & others."
The announcement from the PPP chairman comes a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the country will not head towards a lockdown. PM Imran had said that a lockdown would mean the poor of the country will suffer from unemployment and food shortages.
The Sindh government has closed down shopping malls, crowded markets, gyms, restaurants, hotels and picnic spots for 15 days in a bid to contain the coronavirus from spreading.
The Punjab government also sprung into action on Saturday, announcing that it was closing shopping malls and picnic spots for three days to battle the pandemic and encourage social distancing.
