Easing restrictions

The NCOC has decided to relax some Covid-19 measures put in place ahead of Eidul Fitr some two weeks ago to avoid the spread of the virus at a time when positivity in the country was soaring. While positivity remains high, it has dropped somewhat notably in some parts of the country. In an effort to bring the country back towards normalcy, the NCOC after consultations with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, and other senior members of the government, has decided to relax the ban on outdoor dining from May 24, and also on the tourism sector from the same date. While secondary and higher level exams will be held after mid-June, some educational activities may begin in schools located in districts with a lower positivity rate by the end of May, and then in a second phase from that point onwards. The action seems to have been planned out to a greater degree than before. Of course, a lot needs still to be done. In the first case, the vaccination rate needs to be pushed up far higher, so that as many Pakistanis as possible can be vaccinated quickly. While steps in this regard are being taken, the fact is that to date barely two percent of the population has received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. The availability of a range of vaccines in the country is good news and this is the time to encourage people to have themselves vaccinated through more campaigns using the media and influential celebrities in society.

At the same time, people must be encouraged to continue observing SOPs by wearing masks and carrying out careful hand washing and social distancing. There are already indications that in major cities and other areas, people have more or less begun to abandon masks once again, with some shopping centres also allowing people to enter without these essential protections in place. This could result in a disaster if we are not careful. It is therefore vital that the timetable laid down for the relaxation of the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 be carried out carefully and as dictated by the NCOC so that we do not have yet another resurgence of the virus in the country. Already Pakistan has been blacklisted for travel by a number of countries and we would not like to see the number increase in the near future. For this purpose, it is vital that people remain convinced that the danger still lurks and has not gone away. Unless they are willing to believe this, the SOPs will not be followed and the lifting in restrictions could lead to another wave of the virus that continues to claim around 100 lives in the country on a daily basis.