Public concerned at surge in Covid-19 cases, deaths since Eid

PESHAWAR: A sudden surge in positive cases of Covid-19 and deaths due to the virus has triggered concerns among the public who want the government to take effective measures to cope with the situation before it is too late.

Action has been started against violators after wearing facemask has been made mandatory for those coming out of homes. People are testing positive for Covid-19 in large numbers after Eidul Fitr. Thousands of people went for shopping during the last week of Ramazan while others gathered in large numbers at homes to celebrate Eid.

The situation is worse in Peshawar where more people are dying daily at different hospitals. At least 263 people out of 1483 people died due to Covid in Pakistan are from Peshawar alone. The single district shares 17.7 percent of deaths due to the virus in the country. Out of 20 people who died in KP in the last 24 hours, eight were from Peshawar and four from Swat. There are reports that a number of people also died at homes and private clinics in the last over a week as they avoided visiting government hospitals due to fear of being tested and quarantined. These reports said a large number of people were not going to hospitals after many rumours and conspiracy theories about coronavirus that were never contradicted by the government in an effective way by involving prayer leaders, MNAs, MPAs, former nazims, councillors and all those who have a say.

Many conspiracy theories have made people take the pandemic light which has overburdened hospitals and now claim more lives daily. No effective campaign was launched in the past weeks to counter the negative propaganda and to convince people to stay home and avoid crowded places.

Many want some strict measures by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus before it is too late. “Why can’t the government take a simple decision to have a strict lockdown for three weeks and then manage and observe compulsory quarantine at borders and incoming flights of passengers? Otherwise, this will go on for years and years. We are unnecessarily prolonging the matter,” questioned Mohammad Faheem Wali, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

More people are being tested positive in different government departments including police and district administration. The highest number is that of the health professionals. Along with many other government departments, the prosecutors of the province have asked for providing PPEs to the staff after the death of district prosecutor Peshawar Zaheeruddin Babar due to Covid-19.

The general secretary of the Prosecution Officers Association Sangeen Shah said the death of the president of the association is a great loss for the department and demanded Shaheed Package for the deceased and PPEs for the staff.