Imran to personally monitor Covid-19 situation from PM Office

PM Imran Khan warns of stern action against SOP violators

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken notice of the lack of seriousness shown by the people towards the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, warning that stern action would be taken against the violators as he will now personally monitor the situation from the PM Office.

In his televised address to nation on Thursday evening, Premier Imran took stock of the country’s coronavirus situation as well as compared it with several other countries and said that he would now be receiving daily reports from the provinces regarding the implementation of the SOPs and strict action would be taken against the violators.

“The government was not implementing the SOPs strictly before because we were gathering data,” the premier said, adding that the government has the data and he would now ensure that action was taken against anyone violating the SOPs.

“We need to make people aware and understand the importance of following the SOPs,” the prime minister said. “If we won’t follow the SOPs, Covid-19 will spread rapidly and will put pressure on our healthcare system.”

He said that the Tiger force would play a vital role in spreading awareness among the people and in the implementation of the SOPs.

PM Imran disclosed that the reports he received contained details of the steps taken by mosques, courts, public offices, public parks, industries, shopping malls, local and private transport to prevent the virus from spreading, adding that all those found violating the government’s SOPs would be closed.

Warning “all the managers”, Imran said any business whether a shop, a mall, or a factory caught flouting the rules would be closed. He said that the purpose of a smart lockdown was to shut down areas where the virus spreads while keeping all other areas open to keep the wheels of the economy running.

“God has been gracious to Pakistan so far. Some of the reasons for this include smart lockdown, non-disruption of farming in rural areas, gradual reopening of businesses and distribution of Rs120 billion among 12 million families under the Ehsaas programme,” he said.

While living our routine life, the premier said, it’s difficult to comprehend the problems which a daily wager is going through. “Through the Ehsaas programme, the government has managed to accommodate these daily wagers within the best possible means,” he said.

“In this difficult time when the doors of employment are closed for daily wagers due to the lockdown, the emergency cash assistance was no less than a blessing for them,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister's Ehsaas Emergency Cash provided immediate financial assistance of Rs12,000 to the deserving people.

During his media talk, he lauded the National Command and Operation Centre’s team for leading the pandemic strategy by taking on board top experts and all provinces, analysing every situation thoroughly and taking decisions that have benefitted the whole nation.

Also, he spoke at great length about the complete lockdown in India and how the economy was now reeling from its after-effects. Sharing details of a survey released by the experts of University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, and Mumbai-based CMIE, which has been monitoring the Indian economy, the premier said the survey has revealed that 84% households were impacted because of the complete lockdown.

“But that is not the worst of it all. Thirty-four per cent households today are in a state where if they are not helped out, they will not be able to sustain themselves after two more weeks,” the premier said, adding that millions were rendered jobless while the elite remained unhurt by the restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus.

 

“From day one, our position has been that there should be a smart lockdown. Curfew has led to poverty and deaths in neighbouring India, but they too are now moving towards smart lockdown,” he said. “This is the victory of our position.”

Special package for health workers

Talking to the media, the prime minister said that medical personnel should fight this war thinking it is Jihad. Imran said that he was well aware of the pressure on the health workers in this difficult time, adding that the government would not only help them in every possible way but will soon introduce a ‘special package’ for them.

“All hospitals will get data managers, who will ensure the provision of accurate data and effective measures will be taken in the light of the data provided by them,” he said.

The PM urged the nation to follow SOPs, saying that the impact of Covid-19 can be reduced if the SOPs are followed. “Every citizen needs to play his/her part by acting responsibly and following the SOPs,” he said.

PM lashes out at opposition

At the beginning of the media talk, the prime minister criticised the opposition, saying they wanted to cash in on the pandemic situation. He lashed out at the opposition and said that they wanted more Covid-19 deaths and the economy to fail so that they could have a reason to criticise the government.

As coronavirus deaths are increasing, he said, the opposition started saying that the government’s policies were incorrect; confused and it did not know what it needed to do.

However, he said, the government did not come under pressure and took the right decisions. He added that he was proud of his team members who guided the government at every moment in the right direction.

He said the country was “saved because a complete and extended lockdown” was not enforced.