Prime Minister Imran Khan warns people against lockdown if SOPs not followed; outdoor dining banned till Eid; schools to remain shut in high risk areas

ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said he had asked the Pakistan Army to assist the police and law enforcement agencies in enforcing SOPs for curbing the spread of the coronavirus, warning that Pakistan may soon be facing a situation similar to India if the current trend continues.

Addressing the nation after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee, he said: “I am appealing to you to follow SOPs so that we don’t have to take steps that India is taking which means imposing lockdowns. Half the problem is solved when you wear face masks.”

India marked a grim milestone in the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, reporting 314,835 new daily cases, the highest one-day tally anywhere, as its second wave and similar surges elsewhere have raised new fears about the ability of health services to cope.

“If our circumstances become the same as India, then we will have to close down cities. We can’t do that because, as experience has shown, the poor suffer the most when lockdowns are imposed,” the prime minister said.

“People are telling me to impose a lockdown today, but we are not going to do so because, and I keep repeating this, daily wagers and labourers will suffer the most.”

That is why we have not taken action, he said, adding that however long this lasts will depend on the people. The premier called on the nation to start observing precautionary measures, in the same way which you did the previous year during Ramazan.

“Pakistan was the only country which had kept mosques open last year during Ramazan. I was proud of the way our religious scholars and imams informed the people about precautionary measures,” he said.

The premier also noted that very few people were following SOPs. “If we don’t take precautionary measures, we will have to impose a lockdown which will also affect our economy at a time when it is on the rise.”