All resources are being used to protect people, says Imran
2,714 Number of cases in Pakistan 1,087 Cases recorded in Punjab so far 40 Deaths have been caused by the virus 830 Cases recorded in Sindh so far
lahore — Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged volunteers of the ‘Coronavirus Relief Tiger Force to be relentless in their struggle against the deadly virus “without any pause or break”.
“We don’t know when coronavirus will end and how prevalent it will be in Pakistan,” he said while addressing volunteers in Lahore.
“God willing, the nation will be a different one after overcoming this challenge,” he added
The prime minister said that all available resources would be utilised to support the nation in this difficult time and referred to his government’s relief package.
He maintained that all efforts were being made to protect daily wage earners, rickshaw drivers, cart owners, labourers, and workers associated with the construction sector as they had been forced to stay in their homes due to the current challenge.
Tablighi members quarantined
Special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, meanwhile said, the government has decided to give onemonth extra salary to healthcare professionals as an acknowledgement of their efforts.
The Sindh Police have turned Tablighi Jamaat centres across Sindh into quarantine centres where thousands of preachers have been isolated to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
A total of 168 centres have been declared quarantine centres where an estimated 4,107 people have
been isolated, a police spokesperson said. He added that police were providing ‘decent meals’ to the preachers at these centres.
No indefinite lockdown
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general Maj-Gen Babar Iftikhar said the country could not afford an “indefinite” lockdown to flatten the coronavirus curve despite a spike in the number of infections.
He was speaking at a Press conference after a meeting of the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC). The military spokesperson clarified that the
NCOC worked under the National Coordination Committee (NCC), which was headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The bigger picture that emerges after utilising all resources available to the NCOC helps the authorities in providing necessary essential items to the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.”
$200m World Bank aid
The World Bank launched the first operations for Covid-19 health support and approved $200 million funding for Pakistan to cope with the challenges of coronavirus.
“The $200 million amount will support Pakistan’s preparedness and emergency response in the health sector and include social protection and education measures to help the poor and vulnerable cope with the immediate impacts of the pandemic,” said a World Bank press statement received here. —