President Alvi asks people to fight virus individually and collectively

President Dr Arif Alvi says armed forces support government’s efforts to contain COVID 19 spread

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday urged the nation to take responsibility of fighting the threat of coronavirus (COVID 19) “individually and collectively” by adhering to stringent precautionary measures and avoiding social gathering.

The president was responding to public queries and suggestions on his Facebook live page, where he said the people should impose self-discipline in and around their social milieu and at homes.

“The fight against coronavirus is an individual and collective cause and everyone should take it as his or her own fight,” he said. He reposed full confidence in the ability and resilience of the nation. He the threat had reached people’s homes after making inroads into the country.

He also expressed his satisfaction that the political leaders from different parties and media had been playing their due roles in sensitising the masses. The political adversaries had reduced their criticism due to this collective struggle, he noted.

The president also expressed the confidence that the Pakistani nation which was the largest alms- and Zakat-giving nation in the world, would come forward in this critical situation and support the fight against disease and poverty.

To a suggestion, the president noted that all the political, religious and social organisations should immediately galvanise their youth wings to work as volunteers in this fight against coronavirus. “Nations become great after facing ordeals boldly and through unity within their ranks.”

The Pakistani nation had proved it so many times in the past, when they bravely faced the natural calamity of 2005 earthquake, wars imposed upon it, the massive floods and the during the tide of terrorism.

Responding to a question, he said the armed forces of the country had already been supporting all the efforts being made to control the COVID 19. He said Pakistan embassies across the globe had been working to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis in this difficult period.

The president also underlined the significance of proper hygiene – frequent washing of hands with soap or sanitisers and proper disposal of masks, mopping of surfaces with disinfectants and washing of clothes, etc.

The president said according to a Hadith, the ailing and healthy people should not be mingled together; therefore, the social gatherings should be halted immediately. He further advised that the infected person or a person having symptoms of cough or flu should go into self-isolation.

“The infected person should adopt self-isolation in a room and avoid mingling with the family members. The utensils and other things under the use of patient should be properly disinfected,” he suggested.

The idea behind the self-isolation was to break human-carrier chain of this pathogen. Yet, there was no medicine to treat this disease so people should stay at homes, with plenty of water intake along with healthy diet and exercise regularly, he stressed.

Responding to another question, he said the hospital beds in the country were inadequate for the existing patients, so public dependency on the government should be reduced as each flu or cough related case did not relate to this pathogen.

“If people did not take these precautionary measures seriously, then what the government could do!” he said, expressing his wonder over reports that people had been roaming freely on roads, at shopping arenas and in the restaurants. “such irresponsible behaviour must change.”

The president said that human beings were not supposed to revolt against the laws of nature. Pakistan, he said, could not afford a complete lockdown due to its economic situation.

He also said Pakistan had been a major supply route for Afghanistan, therefore, it could not be shut. In the past, the country had hosted millions of Afghan refugees.

The president said the federal and provincial governments had established special helplines and the people should seek their help in case of emergency or information.