Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday moved into self-isolation as a precaution against coronavirus soon after his return from China.
Qureshi, who accompanied President Dr Arif Alvi during the two-day official visit to Beijing from March 17-18, will remain in isolation at his residence in Islamabad for a required period of time. The foreign minister in a statement said he has been advised by health experts to undergo a coronavirus test after five days. He said he will maintain social distancing even from his family members and children as a safety measure.
Later, in a televised press conference, Qureshi assured the nation that he was completely healthy and has ‘voluntarily’ decided to self-isolate for five days after his return from China in order to ‘give a message’. “I am completely healthy […] but a message needs to be given that we should follow the guidance provided by our experts. I’m not doing this for myself, but for the people surrounding me – my family, my friends. I am playing a responsible role and we should all do the same,” he said.
Talking about his trip to China alongside President Arif Alvi, the foreign minister said the Chinese leadership has thanked Pakistan for the ’emotional support at a difficult time’. He said the Chinese leadership told him that Pakistan stood by China at a difficult time and now Beijing is ready to support Islamabad. “They told me that when they were facing a difficult time, Pakistan stood with them. Now they said if you need our help, we will stand with you, shoulder to shoulder,” he said.
The foreign minister said China offered Pakistan its expertise, medical supplies, including testing kits, protective gear and medical equipment. He said Pakistan should “acknowledge that this [coronavirus] challenge is of a global nature”, noting that developed countries including Italy and the United States are in a crisis despite having more resources. The foreign minister said that when the coronavirus crisis was at its peak in China, the Chinese government issued precautionary directions which were extensively followed by the people. “The people did not criticise [the measures]. Of course, there will be difficulties when you ask people to limit themselves to their homes or not to go to work. The economy also came under pressure, that was unavoidable. But they tolerated everything and preferred humanity and saving human lives,” he said. “Now that they are coming out of it, the next phase for them is to think of ways to revive their economic activity and industrial output so that the economy does not have to suffer from long-term negative impacts,” he added. Qureshi urged the nation to unite in the ‘battle against coronavirus’. “We cannot fight [against COVID-19] if we are divided as a nation. We will succeed if we fight together, when the federal government, provincial governments, laymen and institutions work together,” he said, and advised the people to follow directions of health experts in order to prevent the virus from spreading further. The foreign minister also addressed the families of the Pakistani students in Wuhan and assured them that there was nothing to worry about.
