QUETTA: President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday urged the nation to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government and take precautions in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
President Alvi was on a day-long visit to Quetta where he chaired a high-profile meeting with provincial and federal officials to review the Covid-19 situation in Balochistan. The president was briefed by Balochistan Chief Secretary Captain (r) Fazeel Asghar on the measures taken by the provincial government to tackle the pandemic.
صدر مملکت کی زیر صدارت بلوچستان میں کورونا وائرس کی صورتحال کا جائزہ لینے کے لیے اعلی سطحی اجلاس
کورونا وائرس کی روک تھام کیلئے وفاقی اور صوبائی حکومتیں مربوط لائحہ عمل کے تسلسل کو قائم رکھیں، صدر مملکت عارف علوی pic.twitter.com/rhoMaZCjH4
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) April 29, 2020
The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chief Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal and Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Aylani among others.
Addressing the media following the meeting, he said: “Keep [your] distance from each other. This will lead to two things: herd immunity will develop and we will be able to tackle […] this [virus] with time.”
Dr Alvi added that testing capacity was also being increased and expressed hope that the virus would be defeated soon.
The president observed that the Centre and provincial governments need to proceed with coordinated strategies to curb the outbreak in the country.
He expressed his satisfaction on the measures taken thus far and urged the Balochistan government to ensure that effective relief is provided to low-income groups, and those suffering economically due to the lockdown.
