We should follow the example of New Zealand, a country that has successfully contained the spread of the deadly virus.
KARACHI: The only way to contain the virus is to maintain a lockdown and abide by social distancing protocols. The WHO has already warned countries about removing regulations. However, it is not possible for developing countries like Pakistan to enforce a complete lockdown. Densely-populated countries are already under enormous economic pressure with majority of the people living on the edge of the poverty line. The only viable solution is to resort to partial lockdowns so that the essential services could continue working.
Apart from this, developing countries are in a dire need of financial assistance as healthcare systems are in a deplorable state. Rich countries and international organisations need to step up provision of relief so that these countries don’t fall further into crisis. Developing countries need to come up with a timeline whereby they keep on varying the intensity of these lockdowns in order to provide ease to their citizens.
In Pakistan, the federal cabinet has announced easing lockdowns in the country after May 9 and the decision is to be confirmed by the National Coordination Committee. Till then businesses will only continue for the specified time duration. There is still no information about regulations for Eid.
It is important for citizens to take serious precautions if the lockdowns do ease, as more than 22,000 people have been infected by the virus so far and the count is rising by almost a thousand daily. Easing the lockdown doesn’t mean we take things lightly, rather quite the opposite. Strict social distancing regulations are a must in all functioning offices, stores and workplaces. Our cavalier attitude will not only make matters worse but also prolong these lockdowns even further. We should follow the example of New Zealand, a country that has successfully contained the spread of the deadly virus.
Rehan Karim
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2020.
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