ISLAMABAD:
The unrestrained outbreak of Covid-19 has proven to be cataclysmic. The primary reason behind this is that countries around the world did not take the spread as seriously as they should have. As a result, precautions were not implemented to the fullest. Now, the virus has ravaged the whole world, with economies struggling and healthcare sectors deteriorating. The situation is even more severe is underdeveloped and war-torn countries, with Pakistan being one of them.
After the deadly virus started spreading rapidly across Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan imposed the ‘smart-lockdown’ strategy as opposed to a complete lockdown, because the enforcement of strict and radical SOPs would further decelerate the ailing economy. While the strategy aims at providing a safe cushion to the lower class at an unprecedented moment in time, it is the job of the government to provide the poor with the resources they need to survive through this unprecedented situation in the first place. Furthermore, the upper class too needs to stand up and contribute their fair share. The harsh reality that seems to be often overlooked is that millions of people in the country have fallen into poverty since the pandemic started.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2021.
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