The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that Pakistan should implement a two week lockdown following number of increasing cases reported by the country. However, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza disagrees saying that the situation can be controlled if the public strictly follows SOPs.
In a letter to the four provinces, WHO has expressed its concern over the relaxation of restrictions by the government following which resulted in numerous cases being reported in the country. According to the organization Pakistan did not meet any of the prerequisites to open up the country.
Further more WHO recommends Pakistan increase its testing capacity to at least 50,000 per day to get a real idea of the coronavirus impact in the country. The organization pointed out the poor efforts of the government in handling of the situation.
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According to the World Health Organization the virus has now spread across the country and major cities have contributed the most number of cases. Pakistan still has a long way to go before it can open up and relax restrictions otherwise number of cases will continue to mount.
The organization after observing said:
After partial relaxation of measures on 1st May 2020, then followed by complete relaxation on 22nd May, the rate of spread of Covid-19 increased in Pakistan,
Pakistan was reporting around 1,000 cases per day during the lockdown which later rose to 2,000 cases when restrictions were partially lifted and later these surged to 5,000 cases a day as restrictions were completely relaxed.
WHO recommends following the two-weeks on two-weeks off strategy since it offers the smallest curve and minimal cases as people who do get infected or carry the virus can quarantine for 2 weeks.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Sindh Government will take these recommendations into consideration and take them up on a national level.
So far the Federal Government is against the idea of a lockdown keeping in view the poor population and daily wagers in the country. Imran Khan has said many times that the country cannot afford a lockdown and the Prime Minister’s aide Dr Zafar Mirza also seems to disagree with the idea of a lockdown saying that the matter can be controlled if the public strictly followed the government issued standard operating procedures (SOPs). According to SAPM, the government is taking every decision in the best interest of the public.
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