Pakistan’s COVID-19 outbreak is surging again with authorities imposing new restrictions to foil the second wave of infections and the people of Pakistan are constantly flouting social distancing and mask-wearing precautions. The second wave in the country has already arrived, with daily confirmed cases and hospitalizations increasing at an alarming rate.
Sindh reported 627 new cases of the novel coronavirus during the past 24 hours. Moreover, five more persons died from the virus. Punjab reported 369 new Covid-19 infections in the 24 hours, the sixth straight day with 300-plus cases in the province. The flouting of safety precautions can have far-reaching consequences and has raised fear of another country-wide lockdown.
Pakistan is already among the top 20 countries with COVID-19 infections as the number of cases crossed 343,800 and the death toll has reached 6,973. The testing capacity has gradually been enhanced and more cases are being detected every day. Given this situation, it was not surprising that the government issued fresh guidelines to contain the deadly disease.
According to the guidelines, indoor marriages are to be banned from Nov 20; not wearing a mask will attract a fine of Rs100, and work from home is allowed for 50pc staff of public and private institutions. Thus Sindh, for instance, has imposed a Rs500 fine on anyone found not wearing a mask.
People are still getting sick and dying. No magic switch has been flipped somewhere to make the coronavirus less virulent. Anyone can still contract the disease. During the last major pandemic, the 1918 “Spanish Flu,” the first wave in the spring was bad but the second wave in the fall much worse killing tens of millions.
On the other hand, the political and religious gatherings across the country are on the rise, which is also one of the causes of the increasing number of infections. However, it is clear that the authorities are taking the emerging threat very seriously. Unfortunately, the public appears to have become quite lackadaisical about observing SOPs.
The concerned authorities must ensure consistent messaging through its actions in public to reinforce the importance of social distancing and wearing masks. The nationals should also be responsible and follow the devised standard operating procedures (SOPs), and help the government in containing the outbreak.
