PM Imran says lockdown no solution to coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the lockdown was not a solution to the coronavirus pandemic and posed a far greater threat to the Pakistani people than the virus.

Chairing a high-level meeting on the COVID-19 situation in the country, PM Imran discussed the lockdown and its negative impacts on the daily lives of common people. In such an unforeseen situation, the government has to maintain a balance between the precautionary measures to curb the pandemic and hunger challenges throughout the country, he said.

The premier added that the government had to make decisions based on the ground realities and the plight of the people. "We must keep it in mind that until our economy does not resume fully in this situation, the challenges of the poor and the needy will continue to rise," he added.

The PM said while the government understood how the closure of the businesses caused irreparable damage to the economy, "we were forced to take this step".

"Coronavirus is a reality. We need to ensure that no matter what, the protective measures and the rules and regulations laid down to curb the deadly virus are implemented so that people's lives remain safe," he added.

PM Imran also emphasised on the importance of adopting a people-friendly and knowledge-based approach to ensuring the implementation of precautionary measures. "Instead of forcing people to adhere to the safety measures, awareness should be created in this regard," he explained.

He further directed the police to be friendly towards people instead of maintaining a harsh, coercive attitude. Noting and lauding the media's role in public awareness on the novel coronavirus, the premier said media should play a much more effective role in encouraging the public to take precautionary measures and abide by the rules and regulations.

Among the participants in the meeting were federal ministers Asad Umar, Hammad Azhar, Shibli Faraz, Khusro Bakhtiar, and Fakhar Imam, advisers Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Abdul Razzak Dawood, special assistants Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, Dr Zafar Mirza, and Dr Moeed Yusuf, National Disaster Management Authority Chairperson, and the focal person on COVID-19, Dr Faisal. In addition, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief ministers Usman Buzdar and Mahmood Khan, respectively, attended via a video link.

Dr Mirza, the special assistant on health, apprised the meeting in detail on the statistics of coronavirus patients across the country, confirmed cases, the geographical spread of the pandemic, testing capacity, and rate of increase in patients.

The meeting also discussed various issues, including ensuring the availability of beds in hospitals, the supply of medical equipment, and the presence of professional staff in light of future statistics and the changing situation.

It also reviewed measures to increase the capacity of health facilities and hospitals.

CMs Khan and Buzdar spoke of the common people's challenges with regard to transport. The closure of transport had significantly impacted common people's businesses and mobility, they said.

Further, the demands of the automobile sector — especially the motorcycle manufacturers — and shopping malls association, were presented to PM Imran, who directed the minister of industries to review them for decision-making in future.

The PM reiterated that the government's policy on lockdown was very clear, saying that without putting the people's lives at unnecessary risk, every sector — which was linked to the poor and underprivileged population's businesses — should be facilitated.