PPP minister hints at prolonged, complete lockdown in Sindh

Requests people to stay at home before it is too late'

KARACHI: Raising alarm over the emergence of over 100 cases of coronavirus in Sindh on Saturday, Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah warned that if people continued to disregard lockdown guidelines, the provincial government would be left with no choice but to take measures for enforcing a complete lockdown.

"All health experts who have been attending coronavirus taskforce meetings have already advised [Sindh] Chief Minister [Syed Murad Ali Shah] to tighten and prolong the lockdown to eradicate the pandemic from the province," the minister claimed.

He further said that while the decisions taken in connection with the lockdown by the Sindh government were largely unpopular, but had they not been taken in time, the "situation would have turned out to be horrible."

The minister said that more than 100 cases of the virus surfacing in the province within a day was the writing on the wall for people, showing that if they continued to ignore the health advisory issued by the government and violate the lockdown, the problem would aggravate.

"At present, the Sindh government is utilising all available resources to treat COVID-19 patients, but if the pandemic escalates, it will not be possible for the government to treat and care for every single patient," he voiced fear, urging the people to follow the government's health advisory.

Speaking with regards to the CM's orders regarding tightening the lockdown in certain areas, the provincial minister said, "From day one, the CM has been requesting people to follow lockdown guidelines as it was the only way to rid [Sindh] of the pandemic."

But the recent rise in the number of coronavirus cases suggested that his pleas were ignored and hence, the CM had ordered the relevant officials to step up lockdown measures in areas where violations were observed to be higher, including Malir and Hyderabad, the minister added.

"I once again request people to adopt precautionary measures, repeatedly being announced by the government, and confine themselves to their homes, before it is too late," he implored citizens, expressing the hope that with their cooperation, the government would soon be able to eliminate the coronavirus pandemic. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2020.