Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that it was disappointing that the government did not prepare a clear strategy to tackle coronavirus in the country and called for an emergency session of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to discuss measures to protect citizens from the virus.
He urged the government to initiate a campaign for the safety and security of the citizens. He also called on all parties to play a responsible role to ensure that the citizens of Pakistan remain protected from the virus.
Referring to the growing shortage of respiratory masks in the country, the PML-N president said that companies who manufacture masks and make medicines should play a positive role in this crisis and should refrain from making profits at the cost of people’s lives. “To make a profit at the cost of human lives is the biggest injustice,” he said. “The government should ensure masks are distributed for free or at a minimal cost,” he added.
Saying that no risks could be afforded when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus, he said that there was a growing concern that the crisis will not be dealt with as the government had proven to be negligent when dealing with polio and dengue viruses.
He called on the government to take steps to ensure the implementation of special coronavirus precautionary measures in schools across the country.
The coronavirus, which began from wet markets in Wuhan, have spread to more than 40 countries causing the deaths of an estimated 2,700 people and affecting 80,000. On Thursday, Saudi authorities announced a temporary ban on travel to the kingdom except for those who have permission to travel or have permanent residence there.
On Wednesday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza had confirmed that Pakistan had reported its first two cases of the coronavirus. On Thursday, he had said that both patients were stable and improving and that their families had not contracted the infection.
