Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, 22 March ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus which has so far claimed four lives and infected 646 people in the country.
Addressing the nation as cases of the novel coronavirus surged across the country, Khan reiterated that lockdown will create chaos as more than 25 percent people were living below the poverty line and their lives will be shattered.
However, a lot of Twitter users lashed out at the prime minister for not imposing a lockdown yet.
Meanwhile, to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, several states across India including Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana imposed a complete lockdown on Sunday, 22 March, while many other states closed major districts.
Can’t Afford Complete Lockdown: Khan
Khan had said the situation in Pakistan does not call for a lockdown yet.
“Let me first tell you what a complete lockdown is. It means imposing a curfew and locking people in their homes,” said Khan.
“We cannot afford complete lockdown as it will create massive unrest,” he said, adding that the situation in the country is not as bad as in Italy or France.
“If the condition was similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown,” he said.
He urged the people to follow the policy of self-isolation and stay inside their homes. He said that the government was constantly watching the situation and added that all necessary measures will be taken accordingly.
Some Call for Lockdown, But Some Disagree
The Pakistan government on Saturday suspended all international flights for two weeks and curtailed train services to curb the spread of the virus, which has turned into a major global crisis.
Official data issued by National Disaster Management Authority showed at least 646 confirmed coronavirus cases.
On Saturday, the public relations officer (PRO) to the Sindh health minister told the media that the number of COVID-19 patients in the province has surged to 392. Throughout the day, the local media outlets quoted the new figures which took the nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients to 745.
The massive spike in numbers created alarm and sent the people panicking. However, late in the night the PRO revised the figures downwards to 292 citing a “counting error”.
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking directions to the federal and provincial governments for effectively dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
(With inputs from PTI)
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