By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: The unprecedented measures of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government against the coronavirus pandemic had made it possible to largely overcome the challenge of deadly virus in the country.Like other parts of the globe, the pandemic has also badly hit the health and economic sectors of the country.
But the well formulated balancing strategies and consistent efforts of the government to overcome the pandemic during the last six to seven months have been acknowledged both locally and internationally.
The policy of smart lockdown, enforcement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and collective response from the public had brought down the number of corona related cases in the country.
However, throughout the period the government did not forget the downtrodden segments of the society as they were provided financial support and efficient medical treatment.
It also did not stop the daily wagers from earning their livelihood even during the challenging times while the small businesses were provided help in terms of soft loans. Although the coronavirus has not yet been eradicated completely, but the consistent efforts of the government had mitigated the cases to the lowest number.
Therefore, the government’s strategy of tackling the pandemic is becoming a successful case study for other corona affected countries. Pakistan is now included in the list of those countries which had tackled the virus successfully. As from the first case, the government has taken prompt measures to ensure public health safety when the panic of the virus at global level was high.
Firstly the government has launched an awareness campaign to sensitize and educate the public about the seriousness of the infection. Secondly, the government has time to time issued SOPs under the safety guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19 by restricting people to their homes with ringtones, televised, radio and mobile phone text messages to keep them alert about the virus.
The public were also asked to ensure wearing of medical masks and at least six feet distance while interacting with each other and avoid handshake and hugging.
Pakistan has played a responsible role in mitigating the coronavirus cases as it took timely measures to impose restrictions on public gatherings, social and political activities, educational institutions and public transport operations to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread. The government has come up with a number of well conceived strategies from partial to smart lockdowns, quarantine facilities and home isolation to cope with the emerging situation of coronavirus in the country.
The philanthropist Bill Gates while comparing the coronavirus situation of India and Pakistan has said that Pakistan had dealt with the pandemic in a better manner. Likewise, the UN General Assembly President-elect Volkan Bozkir has also said that the world can learn from Pakistan.
Similarly, the The Wall Street Journal has also acknowledged that the country was a bright spot in the world when it comes to coronavirus.
