Asad Umar urges masses to strictly follow Covid-19 safety SOPs

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar once again urged the masses to strictly follow the safety SOPs for Covid-19 to help mitigate its spread during the pandemic's second wave. 

Speaking to the media in Islamabad on Wednesday, the planning minister reiterated Pakistan’s success in overcoming the first wave of the virus adding that the nation can achieve the same results by taking precautions and adhering to the SOPs.

Umar said that the incumbent government has made some important and difficult decisions to control the pandemic, which proved quite effective. He further said that the government will soon announce a relief package for the sectors closed due to the second wave.

The minister stated that the Covid-19 vaccine would be made available in the country in the first quarter of next year and would be provided to health workers and old citizens on a priority basis.

The federal minister disclosed that Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair a meeting of National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Thursday to review the Covid situation in the country and take necessary decisions.and added that the meeting will also be attended by provincial chief ministers.

Showing signs of regret, Umar maintained that the people are not following Covid SOPs as they did during the first wave, which has led to 60 deaths per day on average and a four per cent increase in Covid patients during the last two months.

He added that the opposition is intentionally playing with the lives of the people by holding public gatherings.

Pakistan's Covid-19 tally jumped to 426,142 after 2,963 new cases were reported today. In the last 24 hours, 60 people died due to the virus, taking the country's Covid-19 death toll to 8,547.