Residents ignore safety in Karachi’s emerging Covid-19 hub

UC-21 chairman admits people are not realising gravity of situation despite 50 new cases

KARACHI: With over 50 new cases, UC-21 in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality is emerging as the epicentre of the novel coronavirus in the metropolis. But even though four of them have succumbed to Covid-19 since Eidul Fitr, many residents with visible symptoms remain reluctant to get tested.

Like many in the rest of the country, most of them also continue to ignore World Health Organisation guidelines and go about routine lives without masks or social distancing, a visit to the union council revealed. Throngs of people continue to cluster around grocery stores and while banks in the area have instituted measures within premises, there was no sign of social distancing outside them.

“Like the rest of the country, the majority of the people in my union council are not taking any precautionary measures”, UC-21 Chairman Muhammad Adnan Khan admitted. “It is unlikely any Covid-19 awareness messages did not reach them but people neither wear masks nor maintain social distancing,” he complained.

“Both this union council and UC-24 were sealed for 10 days in April due to the growing number of cases,” Adnan said. “Over the last three months, 90 people tested positive and seven lost their lives to the virus.”

“Now, 50 new cases have emerged in my union council and four people have died since Eid. But still they fail to realise the gravity of the situation,” he lamented.

For his part, the UC-21 chairman said he is still overseeing steps to curb the spread of Covid-19. According to him, he has disinfectant sprayed immediately at the residences of infected patients and he also offers support for patients looking to get tested and admitted into hospitals.

“Fear of social boycott makes patients hide their disease. They are even reluctant to ask for disinfectant spray because they are afraid of being identified as Covid-19 carriers,” Adnan said. “Misinformation on social media also has many fearing mistreatment at the hands of hospital staff. Falling prey to all sorts of false information, they think labs are declaring everyone Covid-19 positive.”

“So instead of seeking help, they are choosing to self medicate with all sorts of supposed herbal remedies proliferating on the internet,” he added.

The UC-21 chairman said he and his fellow councillors were doing all they can to spread awareness. “But I appeal to the government to carry out a proper awareness campaign and enforce precautionary measures like wearing masks and ensuring social distancing by means of legislation if need be.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2020.