KARACHI:
According to recent news reports, more than 150 coronavirus cases were registered in the country within just three days of schools re-opening. Whether this points to the fact that people are not following SOPs and safety protocols, or whether such measures are not much effective in the first place, we have no way of knowing. This is because we are facing an invisible enemy that cannot be effectively tracked.
What this could indicate, however, is that safety protocols have not been properly formulated. The government cannot just use the same universal protocols that WHO has suggested because the conditions and circumstances in Pakistan are far more different than in any country in the West, for instance. Thus, basic SOPs have to be altered so as to cater specifically to different regions within the country. The functionality of rural schools as opposed to urban schools is completely distinct. Similarly, rich private schools are starkly different from poor government institutions. The way institutions conduct their education, the number of students admitted, and the space they have — all these factors need to be considered in order to effectively curb the spread of the virus. Apart from that, the government must ensure the provision of basic resources, such as sanitisers, so as to effectively implement specialised protocols.
Adnan Maqsood
Turbat
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2020.
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