Pakistan extends lockdown by 15 more days till May 9: Minister

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Pakistan has decided to extend the ongoing countrywide lockdown for another 15 days till May 9 to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said Friday

Speaking at news conference, the minister said that a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) that was held at the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) decided to extend the date of the lockdown.

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He said the government is also making all-out efforts to enhance testing capacity to ascertain the actual number of infected people in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed the power division to ensure that there will be no loadshedding during Iftar and Sehar timings during the Holy Month of Ramadan across the country, said the minister.

“If people act irresponsibly and do not follow precautionary measures, then we will be compelled to impose more restrictions by the end of Ramadan,” he warned.

Umar said almost half of the money allocated for Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme has been distributed among the underprivileged. The relief scheme will continue throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan, he added.

Earlier during the day, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have urged the Pakistan government and state institutions to enforce complete lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Meanwhile, the WHO said the number of estimated coronavirus cases in Pakistan can rise to an estimated 200,000 by mid-July if “effective interventions” are not taken.

The PMA particularly appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who has taken a suo motu notice regarding measures taken to curb the pandemic, to ask the government to review its recent decision taken in consultation with Ulema to allow congregational prayers in mosques during the holy month of Ramadan.

Stressing the importance of taking strict measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, PMA President Dr Ashraf Nizami, who was speaking alongside other senior doctors from the body at a presser in Lahore, urged authorities “not to push the country into a test it is not prepared for.”

“The rule of asix-foot distance between worshippers is not possible practically. We appeal the government to review its decision and establish writ of the state,” he said.

Pointing towards the restrictions in place at the Islam’s holiest sites, Dr Nizami said: “Our Qibla is Kaaba and Masjid-e-Nabwi is most important to us. If social distancing rules are being implemented there and our religious scholars have also counselled against offering Taraweeh and prayers at mosques. Your (government’s) imprudent steps will not be good for us,” he said, calling upon the country’s leadership to exercise the “writ of the government,” he said.

Dr Nizami said “the decisions made by governments of Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia as Muslim countries should also be adopted by Pakistan. All of us want to pray and worship in Ramadan but we should not do anything that would, God forbid, lead to an increase in our troubles,” he said.

He pointed out that confirmed cases in Pakistan had already crossed the 10,000 mark even though the country’s testing capacity was limited. “I don’t want to scare you, but I would like to inform you that the (cases) are not in thousands, the number is much higher. It would sound weird to hear that the number is 100,000, but it is definitely not less,” he said.