As Covid dips, more sectors set to reopen

Minister says consultations with provinces under way to allow weddings halls, restaurants to operate

Federal Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar on Tuesday said consultations were under way with the provinces on the reopening of weddings halls, restaurants and parks that were closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Taking to Twitter, the minister said consultations with provinces on the possible reopening of different sectors, which were on the negative list, with standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place had kicked off at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19.

He added that the timings during which markets and industries were allowed to operate were also being reviewed.

“We have collected the proposals and have asked provinces to finalise the SOPs and enforcement methods.”

The proposals will now be taken to the National Coordination Committee, headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.  It will make the final decisions within a few days.

There has been a sharp decline in the county’s Covid-19 cases and deaths since last month.

Pakistan’s efforts against the pandemic have been lauded by United Nations as well as international media.

American newspaper Wall Street Journal has noted that Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country have reduced by over 80% from their peaks.

The newspaper stated that major hospitals in Pakistan have reported availability of beds in coronavirus wards that were previously overflowing with infected patients.

The number of patients on ventilators has halved over the past month compared to Pakistan's neighbouring countries India and Iran that are reporting increasingly high number of daily infections.

Wall Street Journal acknowledged Prime Minister Imran Khan's decision to ignore the World Health Organisation's advice pertaining to lockdowns, stating that lockdowns are too costly for the poor. He later decided to reopen businesses to save the country's economy.

The report about Pakistan’s success against the disease has come when even the US, which has enormous resources at its disposal, is still struggling to control the pandemic, with 4.7 million cases and 157,000 deaths.

In its latest study, Imperial College of London ranked Pakistan at fourth for coronavirus reproduction in the country based on July 20 data. Pakistan has achieved 0.73 rate, keeping in view the countries getting below 1 rating are considered the best for their anti-Covid efforts.

Interestingly, the countries including Germany and Portugal which rank above Pakistan are also advocating the concept of smart lockdown to prevent new surge in coronavirus infections.

Besides the administrative measures to ensure strict closure of hotspots, the prime minister repeatedly addressed the nation advising them for strict precautions to avert the disaster.