The government on Friday announced to extend ongoing lockdown till May 9 in the wake of growing cases of coronavirus in the country. The government also warned that a strict lockdown will become inevitable on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha if people fail to follow instructions to contain Covid-19 during the holy month of Ramazan.
“This is a decisive month and if we follow the guidelines sincerely, we will manage to get rid of this virus and will be able to resume our normal routine life on Eid and afterwards,” Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said in a televised press briefing after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) here on Friday. Calling upon all Muslims of the country to take protective measures against COVID-19, the minister said no one is prohibiting to worship during this holy month, but keeping in view the current scenario, they should try to remain at home and worship at home. He said in Islam, every Muslim has the responsibility not to harm his or her fellow human beings, and this responsibility also lies in case of this pandemic.
Asad Umar said after a successful pilot test of smart lockdown or system of testing, tracking and quarantine, the government has also decided to launch this system from Saturday. He said under this system, the government will increase its capacity to reach out the coronavirus suspected patients and also to whom such patients have already met during few days so that the coronavirus can be contained by tracking and tracing the patients. “The system was finalized after having a pilot test and the NCC has now accorded final approval to it,” he said, adding that the implementation of this system will be done through the provinces and the system will work at the grassroots level (tehsil and union council levels). The civil administration federal government and armed forces will also participate in implementation of this system, he added.
With respect to another decision taken in the meeting, the minister said there will be no load shedding across the country during Seher and Iftar timings.
About the ongoing Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, the minister said so far Rs 69 billion have been distributed among 5.7 million families, which means the government has achieved 50 percent of its target. “This programme will continue during the month of Ramazan,” he added.
Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday principally approved the National Test, Track and Quarantine (TTQ) Strategy for ensuring effective measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help achieve the capacity of 20,000 tests per day. The TTQ strategy will help in time detection of coronavirus patients and implement smart lockdown keeping in view the number of increasing positive cases. The implementation of the national strategy will be ensured by the provinces.
The NCOC, which met with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar in the chair, directed the Ministry of Health to submit future disease projections and statistics based on the trend of spread of the coronavirus to the Centre so that the procurement of necessary medical equipment is made keeping in view the needs of the provinces and ensure timely supplies.
Asad Umar stressed the need to enhance and expedite the process of procurement of medical equipment required for the protection of frontline health workers and treatment of the coronavirus patients. However, the future disease projections were necessary for the purpose and therefore, the Ministry of Health will provide data to the NCOC as soon as possible, which will be shared with the NDMA for timely procurement of goods. “The Commerce Ministry officials should be directed to inform the NCOC about the details of ethanol exports,” he said.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health (SAPM) Dr Zafar Mirza assured the forum that details of future coronavirus outbreak projections and possible statistics would be submitted soon. He said on the instructions of minister for planning, the details of important medical equipment from the doctors working on the front line against the coronavirus would be gathered. The international donor organizations will also be apprised about it so that they provide relief supplies as per the requirement, he added. Dr Mirza said testing under the TTQ strategy will have to be targeted at provincial, district, tehsil and union council levels. “Under the current system, we can estimate the spread and effects of the coronavirus or the estimated disease projections for two to three weeks, while the number of positive cases is expected to increase by mid-May,” said Dr Faisal Sultan, Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Covid-19. He said proper definitions for smart lockdown under the TTQ strategy, quarantining of the coronavirus patients, treatment modalities, hotspots and identification of the affected populations has been devised. A block of coronavirus hotspot consists of 250 households and each household comprises seven persons, he added. Interior Minister Ejaz Shah briefed the meeting on the recommendations and 20 SOPs issued for the prevention of coronavirus during Ramazan and said that 18 clauses only emphasize on how to deal with the issues during the month of Ramazan. Article 19 emphasizes that the management of the mosque will be bound to implement these recommendations in collaboration with the law enforcement agencies. “If this facility is not implemented effectively then it will be withdrawn.”
