Expressing concern over the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government will be compelled to impose a lockdown in the country if the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for curbing the spread of the infection are not followed by the people.
The Prime Minister, who was briefing the media after chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Covid-19, appealed to the nation to come together to curb the spread of the deadly virus while warning that Pakistan could face the situation as in India.
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“I appeal to the public to follow the SOPs religiously. The lockdown could be avoided if the people cooperate and take precautions,” The Nation quoted Prime Minister Khan as saying.
Asserting “wearing masks can prevent half the problem”, he stated if a lockdown is imposed in major cities then it would be the poor, daily-wage earners and labourers who would suffer the most.
Prime Minister Khan urged the people, who are “getting Covid-19 fatigue” and “becoming more careless”, across the country to show the same resilience and commitment as they did during the first wave of the pandemic.
He also announced that his government would take the Pakistan Army’s help to enforce the standard operating procedures.
Commenting on the vaccines, the Prime Minister said that his government had asked China for the jabs.
He, however, added that that there was a global shortage of jabs.