Micro lockdown in Karachi

It has been merely days since educational institutes reopened and the number of coronavirus cases have started rising across the country. With winters approaching soon, the much-dreaded second wave of the virus seems to be gaining a foothold amid the situation.

The condition is Karachi is particularly worrisome as it has reported a surge in virus infections. The NCOC has expressed concern over the rising number of coronavirus cases in the city and has recommended imposing a micro-lockdown in various parts to prevent the spread of the disease.

We were warned that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over but we did not pay heed. As the number of cases started to gradually decline, we stopped taking all safety precautions such as wearing masks and social distancing. With the gradual rise in cases over the past few days, the number of total cases have surpassed 312,000 while there are now over 6,479 active cases in the country.

The first coronavirus case was recorded in Karachi earlier this year. Sindh remains the worst affected province with 136,795 cases, while 365 out of the 747 cases reported in the past day were from Karachi. As the number of COVID-19 tests have also increased, it has created a huge backlog and over 32,000 people are awaiting test results, exposing the failure of the health system.

Schools were instructed to conduct coronavirus tests on teachers and staff members before reopening but no efforts were made. Many schools have witnessed a rise in cases while safety precautions continue to be flouted. It may be a matter of time before the government will be forced to reconsider its decision to reopen schools and placing the lives and health of students at stake.

Globally the situation is much worse as there has been an astounding 33 million recorded cases. More than one million people have succumbed to the disease this year. Without a vaccine anytime soon, the WHO has warned that the death toll could double before the pandemic is over. It has been a tough year and our worries are not over yet and have started to worsen.

Pakistan had made considering success in the fight against COVID-19 and received global praise. The rise in cases is worrisome and may force us back into a lockdown. The government must ensure that we maintain control before our gains over the past few months are completely erased.