Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Monday his government would end several months of coronavirus restrictions, even as it emerged cases of the disease are likely many times higher than previously thought.
In a televised address, Khan said impoverished Pakistan cannot afford to keep businesses closed and said almost all sectors – including domestic tourism – would re-open.
Imran Khan said as it is very clear that the coronavirus will not end till the availability of a vaccine, the people in every field of life will have to live with it and protect themselves by taking preventive measures and following the standard operating procedures (SOPs). The United States, which has lost over 100,000 lives due to COVID-19 and provided $3 trillion to stimulate its economy, he said, is now deciding to open its markets to save its economy. “The virus will spread and the number of deaths can rise. But if we have to survive, we will have to follow the SOPs,” he added.
His announcement came shortly after an alarming government report was leaked to the media that showed cases of novel coronavirus in the eastern city of Lahore are estimated to be at about 670,800.
“No workplace and residential area of any town [in the Lahore region] is disease-free,” the report notes.
Officially, about 72,000 people have tested positive, with 1,543 deaths, across all of Pakistan. The daily rate of new cases is accelerating.
