Sarwar says health system may collapse

Govt might re-impose strict lockdown if cases continue to increase

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar said the country’s healthcare system would have no means to bear the disease burden if the coronavirus spread went out of control as it has in the US.

“There will be no option but to withdraw relaxations and impose strict restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus,” he warned.

He expressed these views while addressing a ceremony of 120,000 masks’ distribution and opening of 32 disinfection tunnels at Hafeez Centre on Monday.

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As soon as businesses opened, the governor regretted, people came out of their homes in droves believing that the dreadful coronavirus had subsided. “However, in reality, the situation of virus spread was getting serious with every passing day.”

Speaking to the media, he added that Pakistan’s defence was in safe hands and India would be responded in the same coin, if it dared any misadventure against Pakistan adding that the whole nation was standing with the Pakistan Army.

Responding to a question, the governor said, “the government had relaxed the lockdown restrictions to ensure the economic security of the citizens.”

“We wanted to ensure the economic problems of the public would be mitigated but people had begun misusing the opportunity and started coming out of their homes aimlessly.”

He explained such lapses would lead to the spread of coronavirus at dangerous levels. He stressed that everyone coming out of their homes should observe SOPs, in letter and spirit, otherwise they would not only invite trouble for themselves but also infect others causing a burden on the healthcare system.

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Responding to another query, the governor maintained that a strict lockdown would immediately be imposed to save Pakistan from a bigger crisis if the coronavirus spread saw a surge during the current relaxations.

The fight against coronavirus pandemic was not on any one individual or single government but the whole nation, he concluded.

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