'Govt pursuing a holistic strategy to combat Covid-19'

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza said on Sunday that the government was pursuing a holistic strategy to combat Covid-19, with the support of citizens and paramedics.

During a visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, Dr Mirza lauded the efforts of healthcare workers and medical staff fighting on the frontline against the pandemic.

The special assistant underscored that the government gradually eased the lockdown, but shifted its focus on the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the spread of the virus.

He said the federal government made the best sovereign decisions in the interest of the masses with robust national coordination and decision-making mechanism.

The special assistnat maintained that the federal government established the National Command and Operation Centre which makes decisions in coordination with all the provinces.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Saturday, had directed for ensuring strict implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the strategy of smart lockdown to curtail the spread of coronavirus pandemic and prevent any resurgence of the disease during Eidul Azha, later this month.

The prime minister, accompanied by federal ministers, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and other high-ranking officials visited the NCOC on the occasion of the centre's completion of 100 days since it was established.

During the visit, the prime minister received a briefing on the current situation and the pattern analysis of Covid-19 spread, the government’s strategy of smart lockdown to balancing life and livelihood and the issues of the poor and the working class during the pandemic.