–Imran says lockdown helped contain coronavirus, urges people not to let their guard down
–Says ‘our greatest challenge is to ensure that those suffering from economic distress do not fall further below the poverty line’
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that the government’s decision to enforce lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus was bearing fruit while warning that the country could face ‘difficulties’ by mid-May.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Imran urged people not to let their guard down in the coming weeks.
“Our initial projections said that we would have 50,000 cases by April 25. Thankfully that’s not the case. Our new projections suggest that we will have 12,000 to 15,000 coronavirus patients. The pressure we expected earlier can now be felt next month.” The premier said that the government was procuring ventilators and personal protective equipment to prepare for the situation.
As of Saturday, the country has recorded 148 deaths and over 7,750 cases ever since the pandemic hit Pakistan. Punjab accounts for the most COVID-19 infections, with 3,504 cases. Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have so far reached 2,355, 376, 1,077, respectively. Islamabad has 163 cases, Gilgit-Baltistan has 250 cases whereas Azad Kashmir has 48 cases so far. The recoveries stand at 1,832.
Giving reasons for a relatively low number of infections, he recalled that the government had started enforcing a lockdown in March when there were “only a few cases”.’ He said that the government had also started screening people at airports and pilgrims returning through land borders.
The premier added that the government would now “gradually start reopening the economy, starting from the construction sector”.
On April 3, the prime minister had unveiled an amnesty scheme for the construction sector while elevating its status to that of an industry. Subsequently on April 14, while the lockdown was extended for another two weeks, the construction sector along with some other essential industries was allowed to reopen.
He said that if levels of poverty in Pakistan increased by the time it has defeated the coronavirus, the country will have lost the overall war.
“Our greatest challenge is to ensure that those suffering from economic distress right now do not fall further below the poverty line. Because if they do and our poverty rises by the time we have defeated this virus, we will have lost the war,” the premier remarked.
The PM said during this month, they would not face any difficulty as the health facilities in the country could accommodate the most intensive care-related cases, but witnessing the global scenario, there were fears about an increase in cases during the next month. He also reiterated that not a single case was imported from China.
The prime minister said the whole world was facing this “unfamiliar challenge”, as no government in the world was ever prepared to combat this pandemic. He said the Command and Control Center was making calculation and analysis of the daily situation with the support and input by all the stakeholders.
He also questioned the spreading of “fake news” regarding a higher number of coronavirus deaths than officially reported. He questioned whether people were suggesting the government was hiding deaths due to coronavirus.
Dr Faisal Sultan, the premier’s focal person on the virus added that the government was investigating suspected deaths due to the virus in Karachi. “Some 15 of the 300 deaths are suspected to be because of coronavirus. We are looking into it but cannot yet comment further on it.”
Speaking about measures to ensure smooth supply of essential goods, he said: “The government will take strict action against them. We will go directly after owners of stores that are hoarding items.”
“The government will also announce an ordinance to crack down on smuggling soon,” he added..
