–Shehbaz Sharif says lockdown need of hour to avert tragedy
–Bilawal says need full force of federal govt to facilitate lockdown, increase tests and assistance for needy people
LAHORE: As coronavirus cases continue to increase on Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have separately urged the federal government to impose to complete lockdown in the country to contain the deadly coronavirus.
The number of coronavirus cases has crossed 700 across the country, with Sindh, a province already under partial lockdown, accounting for 50 per cent of the reported cases.
In a statement before his return to Pakistan, National Assembly Opposition Leader and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif demanded a nationwide lockdown, saying the government should immediately take steps to avert a “terrible human tragedy”.
He also urged the government to ensure the provision of protective gear and other essential supplies to doctors and other medical staff across the country. He further said that the government should take notice of incidents like lack of testing kits, doctors contracting the virus in KP and large gathering is Lahore and other parts of the country.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan must move towards a lockdown as soon as possible. Taking to Twitter, the PPP chief said, “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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
Two days ago, after the Sindh government had imposed a partial lockdown in the province, Bilawal had urged the federal government to lock down the entire country in a bid to contain the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
A day later, Prime Minister Imran Khan ruled out the lockdown had expressed the hope that Pakistan’s “hot and dry” weather will help to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak, urging citizens to exercise social distancing and self-discipline.
The prime minister, while speaking to a small group of journalists, had ruled out a complete lockdown in the country as a measure to contain the outbreak, adding that Centre “might consider a nationwide lockdown if things get out of hand”.
“It is very important that those who show symptoms of coronavirus must go into self-quarantine,” he had said, adding that people should avoid social gatherings for the next two months.
