WHO calls for intermittent lockdowns to contain virus

Warning comes as nation registers more than 5,000 new cases in 24 hours

The World Health Organisation has told Pakistan it should implement “intermittent” lockdowns to counter a surge in coronavirus infections that has come as the country loosens restrictions, an official has said.

Since the start of Pakistan’s outbreak in March, Prime Minister Imran Khan opposed a nationwide lockdown of the sort seen elsewhere, arguing the impoverished country could not afford it. Instead, Pakistan’s four provinces ordered a patchwork of closures, but last week Khan said most of these restrictions would be lifted.

That decision came as Pakistan’s infection rate is worsening, as it is across all of South Asia, which until recently had lagged Western nations in virus tolls.

Pakistan has registered its highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases with over 5,000 infections in the last 24 hours

Two-week cycle

“As of today, Pakistan does not meet any of the pre-requisite conditions for opening the lockdown”, the WHO said in a letter to Punjab’s provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid.

Because much of the population hasn’t adopted behavioural changes such as social distancing and frequent hand-washing, “difficult” decisions will be required including “intermittent lockdowns” in targeted areas, the letter states.

The health body recommended an intermittent lockdown cycle of two weeks on, two weeks off.

“The WHO letter has highlighted the importance of following the SOPs (standard operating procedures), and the Punjab government has already given out orders to take strict action against those violating SOPs”, Rashid told reporters Tuesday while confirming receipt of the June 7 letter.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services, 83 more Covid-19 patients died during the same period, taking the death toll to 2,255 and 5,387 new patients were detected in the last 24 hours.

A total of 36,308 patients have also recovered so far from the disease across the country, the ministry said.

Out of the total 113,702 cases, Punjab has registered 43,460 patients, Sindh 41,303, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 14,527, Balochistan 7,031, Islamabad 5,963, Gilgit-Baltistan 974 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 444.