Disease-control : Ghost of Covid-19 looms over capital slums
Vaccinators wear protective masks as they get their temperature checked, during an anti-polio campaign, in a low-income neighborhood as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS
Covid-19 numbers appear to be slumping across Pakistan, following the government’s prompt response and effective dissemination of guidelines during the virus’ peak. The district administrations’ strategy to start with an immediate lockdown, followed by a relaxation of curfew and issuance of SOPs and safety protocols, seems to have helped in keeping numbers low thus far.
Whereas, the introduction of smart and micro-lockdowns–as and when needed– have allowed the country to contain the disease in certain viral pockets where cases were reportedly high. However, where the pandemic threat seems to have been curbed, for now, there still exists a risk of resurgence in certain slum areas, which if not vigilant, can turn into new breeding grounds for the disease.
Maskin Colony, a shantytown located a few kilometres from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, is one such slum where the ghost of coronavirus resurgence still looms unbeknownst to its dwellers.
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“The government’s response policies are not designed with keeping low-income neighbourhoods and squatters in mind. Most slum residents are daily wage earners who live with their entire families of 10-15 people in small, restricted spaces. We can’t practice social-distancing and we cannot work from home. It’s not like we are not afraid of the virus, but we are more afraid of dying from hunger,” said Rubina, a social worker and resident of Maskin colony.
According to Rubina, the city’s slum areas have been largely left out in terms of virus control initiatives, when it is these neighbourhoods which exist at the greatest risk of disease-hub formation. There are certain non-government organisations, however, which have extended their aid to colonies like Maskin, and have been working in their limited scope to provide slum-dwellers access to various health and sanitation facilities.
“We have been involved in distributing ration packages, face-masks, soaps and gloves among slum residents every month, ever since the virus first took hold of the city. But if we are to truly keep the virus from spreading, we need the collective action of both government and non-government organisations in this time of crisis,” informed Shehzad Asad, a member of Rizk foundation, an Islamabad based NGO working for the betterment of slum residents.
On the other hand, speaking on the matter Dr. Waqar Ahmed said slum residents, despite their circumstances and limited resources, need to adopt certain safety protocols, as best as they can. “In the absence of other facilities like healthcare and sanitation, the need for awareness campaigns is particularly high in slum areas. At the moment, creation of awareness and increasing access to SOPs is imperative to virus control in these places,” Dr Ahmed told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2020.