In less than a few days, Pakistan has witnessed over 200 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this a global pandemic with 8,000+ deaths and over 180,000 confirmed cases reported globally.
Given the gravity of the situation, Airlift is committed to act in the collective interest. In the last 48 hours, Pakistan has witnessed a steep increase of over 200 confirmed cases of the virus (with the first death already reported in Lahore). Mass-transit is a high-risk medium that enables people-to-people contact, risks high level of exposures and may become an incubation hub for COVID -19.
Globally, public transport has been declared as a high risk corridor, one that actively spreads the virus via crowded buses. Acting in the public interest, Airlift has, therefore, decided to suspend operations till the 6th of April, 2020. Airlift’s decision is consistent with a global precedent, whereby countries are banning the use of cash and are also shutting down public transportation services where possible. Given that public transport creates a high traffic corridor, it is imperative that we prevent people from using crowded buses. We cannot allow buses to be the mechanism through which the virus spreads to thousands of other commuters on a daily basis.
We appreciate the government for acknowledging the gravity of the situation, for taking decisive action, and for suspending other commercial activity to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Airlift has taken a step to act in the collective interest. We are eager to partner up with the concerned authorities to flatten the growth curve of the spread of the virus, before it is too late. As a company that has always put the interests of the Pakistani people at the forefront of our business, we are discontinuing our operations in support of our nation’s collective efforts to contain and mitigate this global pandemic.
