In Pakistan, the fight against Covid-19 seems to be losing traction
ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, the fight against Covid-19 seems to be losing traction. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed, on Monday, ordered the reopening of shopping malls across the country because he believes that there seems to be “no valid reason” for keeping them closed. But this will not mean that institutions won’t be subjected to SOPs. The order further states that malls can also be operational on the weekends because all days of the week should be considered the same.
It is evident that most authorities believe that the country should be kept functional even after a significant rise in coronavirus cases was recently reported since the eventual spreading of the virus will be inevitable. Delaying it will cause more problems, therefore provinces need not use all their resources to fight the virus, particularly when many cities are face with social issues and economic challenges.
Before reacting to the decisions made by the authorities, it is important to understand that there is no right or wrong solution when it comes to handling this unprecedented crisis. The only thing that can be done is to weigh out the consequences and keep in mind those that will be severely affected by the decision. In a time of moral chaos, the pandemic has raised the biggest moral question, since both enforcing and easing the lockdown will have its own effects. It is in the hands of leaders to choose who is going to be affected the most.
Rashid Abbas
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2020.
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