COVID-19 fear grips Pindi

Wedding, public gatherings cancelled as markets, parks, district courts deserted

RAWALPINDI: The scare of coronavirus epidemic has gripped the garrison city sending a panic wave across the metropolis where people have cancelled wedding receptions, public gatherings and food streets and picnic spots were looking deserted.

The Punjab government has already extended the closure of educational institution to avoid spread of the disease that has now become and international pandemic.

Three week shutdown

A notification issued by the Punjab government stated that all educational institutions were to remain closed till April 5.

The notification issued from the Services and General Administration Department stated that all educational institutions including schools, colleges, and universities both public and private shall remain closed for three weeks. The order also applies to private tuition centres, it said.

Moreover, examinations being held during these three weeks also stand cancelled, it said.

The provincial government has also shut down marriage halls and marquees for three weeks and extended the ban to all public gatherings.

The scheduled spring festivals and other cultural activities also stand cancelled, including PSL matches which would be played without spectators. The information deaportemnt has been advised to run an awareness campaign about the lockdown, it said.

Wedding plans foiled

According to Rawalpindi Marriage Halls Association (RMHA) the trend of huge gatherings on wedding ceremonies was decreasing in Rawalpindi due to fear of coronavirus. “Over the past two days, eight wedding functions have been cancelled at halls across the city,” said an office bearer of the association.

Although the lawyers’ community had initially rejected the precautionary measures posted by the health authorities outside the district bar, emergence of new cases of the disease has alerted them.

The humdrum of the district courts was absent on Friday. The district kuchery bore a deserted look owing to thin attendance of judges, lawyers and other officials who preferred to avoid public contact out of fear of contracting coronavirus.

Meanwhile, authorities in the city’s central prison, Adiyala Jail, have decided not to bring suspects to courts whose challan or charge sheet was not ready.

Moreover, the jail administration has decided to skip the daily physical attendance of prisoners, officials told The Express Tribune.

Businesses hit hard

Besides parks and picnic spots, the shopping centres of the city were left waiting for visitors.

Commercial, business activities have also been badly affected in the city markets and there has been a record decline in shopping, representatives of traders said.

Cantt Saddar Bazaar Traders Association Secretary General Zafar Qadri said that the shopping activities have slowed down to a great extent. The hype about the epidemic was such that people were even avoiding shaking hands in markets and offices.

“Rumours trigger panic buying,” said a leader of grocers of the city. However, after the buying frenzy comes the slump, explained Kirayana Merchant Association Chairman Pervaiz Butt, sharing that the business activities in the wholesale sale grocery and grain markets have started to coming down. People are scared of coming to the market, he said, adding that many traders were working from home on telephone.

Vegetable Market Traders Association President of Ghulam Qaidr Meer told The Express Tribune that owing to fear of the contagion, people were avoiding coming to the wholesale fruit and vegetable market.

Although the wholesale fruit and vegetable market was already contaminated owning to lack of hygiene and cleanliness, people working there fear that they might contract coronavirus.

People surviving on the footfall of visitors at recreation parks said they were losing income.

Stall holders, contractors of fun rides and boats at Ayub Park and Jinnah Park told The Express Tribune that number of tourists had declined significantly in the last two days

Bus terminals

Rawalpindi has one of the most busy bus terminals in the country with transport heading to north and south of the country 24/7. But unlike normal days, there was no rush of passengers at these bus terminals. “People are avoiding travelling due to coronavirus scare,” a bus driver said.

CM visits RMU

Chief Minister Usman Buzdar visited the Coronavirus Management Centre at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT) and inspected arrangements.

Punjab government has taken solid steps and finalized arrangements, utilising maximum available resources to combat coronavirus on emergency basis across the province Buzdar said as he inspected different wards of the institute.

The government has failed to make RIUKT functional for the purpose it was built for, however, it has put the building to use as a quarantine facility for coronavirus patients.

Buzdar said that 50-bed Corona Management Centre had been established at the RIUKT and number of beds could be increased if needed.

Necessary diagnostic kits had been arranged and the Punjab cabinet had already given approval to the enforcement of public health emergency in the province, he added.

CM said that the Punjab government has declared a "health emergency" in the province to deal with the novel coronavirus which has been designated as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

He said that every possible step was being taken to prevent its occurrence, adding effective screening of the passengers is being carried out at all the airports.

The CM said that special attention was being given on training of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff while SOPs regarding anti-corona are being implemented in letter and spirit. On the occasion, the CM also announced to deploy the recent 136 recruited nurses in the institute on their own desire. Minister for Health Punjab Dr Yasmeen Rashisd, Rawalpindi Medical University Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Umer and others officials were also accompanied the CM during the visit.

The Rawalpindi district administration has arranged 200,000 face mask on emergency basis to provide citizens as and when needed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2020.