It’s high time for the opposition and the government to find a common working ground instead of blaming the public
KARACHI: With the number of coronavirus cases rising rapidly, more and more frontline healthcare workers are falling prey to this contagious virus. The situation has tremendously exacerbated as hospitals are running out of space and the medical equipment is depleting. During such testing times, the government should not solely put the blame on citizens for being unable to adhere to the prescribed SOPs, and instead share the blame owing to the government’s indecisiveness and lack of wise policymaking, particularly in the context of enforcing lockdown.
The government has failed in trying to communicate its lockdown policy and the anti-Covid measures with its citizens. That means that if the people are still in a state of flux about the reality of the coronavirus and its fatal implications, fingers can only be pointed towards the government’s flawed communication mechanism. The government should realise that the simple reiteration of the use of SOPs and precautionary measures is not enough to ward off the deadly virus. Instead, awareness campaign should be initiated on a massive scale in order to educate the citizens so that they consciously choose to become part of the solution rather than the problem. Currently, this seems to be the most effective way to move forward as it will help curtail the spread of the virus in the long run.
Along with creating a robust law enforcement strategy, the notions of “collective conscience”, “self- responsibility” and “law-abiding citizens” should be effectively communicated. Moreover, introducing aid packages to healthcare workers and medical assistance to hospitals, apart from improving the narrative of the pandemic, is the need of the hour. It’s high time for the opposition and the government to find a common working ground instead of blaming the public. They should evaluate where they went wrong and why they failed to create awareness regarding the real nature of the virus.
Hadia Mukhtar
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2020.
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