–PM says mortality rate lower than projections, urges social distancing measures to curb spread of infection
–Asad Umar says number of fatalities to spike in May as corona death toll reaches 361
–Govt to merge PM relief fund with Ehsaas project to provide relief to labourers, daily wagers
–PM says govt will contribute Rs4 for every rupee that people donate to relief fund
ISLAMABAD: As coronavirus cases continue to spike across the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan has played down the devastating effects of the contagion, saying the death rate, currently at 2.1 per cent, was lower than the projected mortality rate.
Addressing a news briefing along with his key aides, the PM said “we had thought that our intensive care units (ICUs) would be filled by now but that is not the case”.
At present, the total number of coronavirus stood at 16,347 with 4,105 recoveries and 361 deaths. Punjab had 6,220 cases, Sindh 6,053, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 2,313, Balochistan 1,049, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 333, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 313 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 66.
Prime Minister Imran said the government has decided to merge the prime minister’s fund and Ehsaas project to provide relief to labourers and daily wage workers affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
The prime minister said that the government will contribute Rs4 for every Re1 that people donate to the premier’s corona relief fund. He added that the fund would be used to help those who have lost their jobs because of the lockdowns enforced to contain the spread of the virus.
PM Imran said an SMS campaign will be started for the relief fund and the government will seek evidence of unemployment. Referring to the force of volunteers, the Tiger Force, the prime minister said the volunteers will reach out to all union councils across the country and help the local administration in the activity.
The prime minister also said that the government is doing its best to repatriate overseas Pakistanis who want to return to the country.
“These people are our VIPs as the remittances they send to the country, supports us immeasurably.”
The premier also lauded Dr Sania Nishtar and the Ehsaas programme for reaching out and helping those in need.
He elaborated that through the program, 6.8 million families have received aid and Rs81 billion has been distributed. He further said that the distribution was fair and all provinces are getting what is required.
“People in Sindh have received the most aid through this program,” said PM Imran.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, who also heads the anti-coronavirus efforts, assured the nation that the country’s coronavirus situation is “not out of control”.
He said Pakistan’s trend was different from European countries so the country was doing its own modelling. “It is true that we have a big number of cases and deaths. The number of deaths will increase in the coming days but our situation is not as bad as other countries,” he said.
Speaking about the relaxation in lockdown restrictions, Umar said the government will take the decision after May 9 which would be depended on whether people were following the restrictions and social distancing measures. “I urge you all to cooperate with the government [in following preventive measures] even more stringently than before.”
PM’s focal person Dr Faisal Sultan said the situation in Pakistan was not as bad as the United States or Europe. He added that the government analysed global and local coronavirus trends before taking decisions.
PM’s health aide Dr Zafar Mirza the government would soon launch a programme for THE protection of medical staff working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that the government was “worried about medical workers”.
The SAPM said that the country was now producing its own personal protective equipment (PPE) but it had been observed that PPE was “not being used rationally” in some places. “We will train medics on the proper use of PPE.”
He added that the government would also provide psychological support to those working on the front lines.
Comparing Pakistan’s situation to neighbouring Iran which has been badly affected by the virus, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that Pakistan was “comparatively better off”.
Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that their utility bills for three months would be paid by the government. An estimated 350,000 small businesses would benefit from the programme, he added.
Adviser to the premier on social protection and poverty alleviation Sania Nishtar said that all those who have registered for the Ehsaas cash disbursement programme would receive a message within the next 10 days. She urged people not to visit the distribution centres until they received a message from 8171 so as not to create rush in violation of social distancing guidelines.
She assured them that the government was working to resolve all problems that people were facing in collecting their amounts.
Wrapping up the briefing, the PM urged people to stay at home and observe social distancing when they went to mosques. “This is a difficult time for our nation. If you don’t maintain social distancing and don’t follow preventive measures, we will all suffer,” he cautioned.
