Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation on Friday to clarify and defend the government's decision to curb the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan - "We have to live with the virus this year."
The Premier said he would like to address the medical community in particular, as he is aware of how easily they were declaring ease of curb, noting that it would have an impact on medical facilities.
'I believe that my government is fully aware of the pressures you must face in relation to your families and children,'
He said that it is important for the medical community to understand how a country deals with a problem of this magnitude, what are the options for it, and decisions are made on the whole society.
'If someone told me with certainty that we needed to keep the country closed for three months and then we would beat the virus. We could do that. We dedicated all our resources to fight it and ensure it Tried to. Supply food in homes with volunteers.'
'But all the medical experts in the world are saying that there are no signs of vaccine this year, so it means that the virus is not going anywhere,' the chief said.
He said the rationale behind the lockdown was to prevent the spread of the virus as it is highly contagious. "But will the virus end with lockdown?"
The Premier then spoke of countries where a second surge of the virus is being observed, such as China, South Korea, Singapore, and Germany.
"We have to live with this virus. This year we have to do with the virus."
Saving daily wagers from hunger
Addressing the medical community, he asked if they really thought the lockdown could remain in force for the next two months.
Comparing Pakistan's economy with developed countries, the Premier once more talked about how others had announced hundreds of billions of dollars of stimulus packages, with Pakistan only managing to allocate $ 8bn.
He said that those countries do not have the kind of poverty that Pakistan does. Providing figures based on a labor force survey conducted in 2017 and 2018, he said that there are 25 million people who are daily wage laborers.
There are 25 million workers who depend on their daily wages or weekly wages they use this income to feed their family.
'These are people who were kept in their homes during their closure. They had no other means to earn a living.' The Premier said that as a result, now 150 million people have been affected by the lockdown.
He said that despite the serious situation, Pakistan has done what many countries did not have. Citing the example of Ehsa's emergency cash program, in which Rs. 12,000 was distributed to the families whose source of income had gone away due to the lockdown, he said: "We gave Rs. 12,000 through Ehsa. How long can we do this.? And how long Rs. 12,000 will be given to them. Will you run? "
The Premier said that the situation was such that there was a need to take such measures so that the government is fully aware of the pressure on the medical community and is fully aware that matters will continue to escalate.
Praising the work done by the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), he said that the organization assesses data from across the country, evaluating factors such as the spread factor, which is responsible for passenger arrivals, and The trend indicates an upward trajectory.
'But we also know that if we do not provide a livelihood to laborers then today there will be starvation deaths.'
'Other people are saving their economy, we are saving people from hunger, we have no choice but to reopen the economy.'
The Premier said that from Monday, cash disbursements under the Prime Minister's Relief Fund will begin for all those who have lost their source of income due to the lockdown.
The situation is under control for now
He stated 'due to the steps taken in the country from the beginning, Pakistan had not seen a decline in other countries.'
"We have things under control," PM Imran said.
He said that when he addressed the nation on 14 April, estimates made up to 14 May predicted actual figures of 52,695 cases and 1,324 deaths versus 35,700 cases and 770 deaths. 'So our hospitals did not see the kind of pressure we expected.'
PM Imran appealed to the entire country to follow the standard operating procedures set by the government for the safety of the people. "If we see a spike in cases in some areas, those areas will again be put under lockdown," he emphasized, urging business and factory owners to act responsibly.
'In living with the virus, a huge responsibility rests on people's shoulders [...] so that we can ensure that it does not spread and we can also keep our economy running.'
Addressing the Coronavirus Tiger Relief Force to over a million motivators, he said his main responsibility is to spread awareness about the importance of caution to the people.
Reopening public transport industry
The Prime Minister also spoke on the issue of reopening public transport. Emphasizing the fact that all decisions are made by consensus among the provinces, he said that due to the reservation of some, the transport was not reopened.
'I believe that any action we took should help influence them the most - our low-income group of society, When we discontinue public transport, we must remember that we Making life difficult for the poor.'
"So I request everyone to open public transport. America has not closed it, Europe has not. Why do we have it?"
People are now required to wear masks by law
The Federal Planning Minister, Vikas Asad Omar, praised the media for its role in raising awareness about the precautionary measures. He said that the Health Ministry has also issued instructions to the people and has made it mandatory for people to wear masks in crowded places.
Omar said he is not satisfied with the current testing capacity which has increased to 27 times since March. He said that the government will increase it further in time. He told two laboratories, there are now 70 in the country who can test.
He also praised the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for arranging masks and equipment including ventilators. He said that there is no shortage of supply.
Talking of the testing, tracking, and quarantine initiative conducted about eight days ago, the minister said that more than 500 points, streets, neighborhoods were sealed using the latest data technology where cases saw an increase was.
He also spoke about the steps taken for community mobilization to spread awareness. 'The government has reached out to the organizations that have the most resources on the land and an agreement has been reached, after which community mobilization has started in almost all the districts,' he said.
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