A serious threat

The new threat posed by the second wave of the coronavirus has brought a strong reaction from the Islamabad High Court, which has asked the government to act against those holding major functions, and show more seriousness in adopting suitable SOPs and ensuring they're implemented to prevent the crisis. Pakistan has so far had over 363,000 infections of Covid-19 and over 7,000 people have died. Now with the new wave, a rising level of new cases is being detected each day, with 37 new deaths reported on Wednesday. The largest number of cases has occurred in Sindh and Punjab.

The question has, as it did in the US, become a somewhat political one. While the government has banned indoor weddings over the coming few days, it has not clamped down on the rallies which are taking place across the country. Apart from the opposition's rallies, the government's own rallies have also been taking place. And, until recently, campaigning was at its height in Gilgit-Baltistan where rallies were also attended by major PTI leaders with no SOPs or masks visible for many stretches of space. There does not appear to have been any adherence to the rule that more than 300 people cannot attend a gathering. As the IHC pointed out, we have lost many people to this virus. And even at the Public Accounts Committee meeting, Khawja Asif pointed out that gatherings and meetings should be limited or stopped, for some time.

However, the opposition has said it will not stop its rallies and has said that the government needs to not make this a ‘political issue’, and instead offer better SOP protection and implementation. There is no doubt that the rallies and the weddings and children going to school and all those offices where SOPs are not being followed all present a serious danger to the health of the people. People's lives need to be protected. No function or event should put these in danger. The risk faced by the people should be considered by the political leadership of all major parties as well as by the government and private businesses – whether these are schools and colleges of banks and MNCs. There can be no getting away from Covid-19 immediately. The NCOC has already announced major measures and schools may be closed in stages for the winter vacation beginning at the end of November. However, if schools and marriage halls are shut down, there is little excuse for rallies or large state/official events to continue. We need to somehow get the message across: Covid-19 is real; it has not gone away; and it can lead to death.