By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday said wearing masks and compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the public were only measures to contain COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The NCOC meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar took stock of SOPs through digital analysis and cattle markets’ management and emphasIzed the need to ensure compliance of safety guidelines.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said public health and safety was the government’s top priority and any sort of complacency in following safety protocols would increase the risk of disease spread on Eid-ul-Azha.
He directed the provincial governments to ensure strict compliance of SOPs and health guidelines in cattle markets. Asad said, “The average tests conducted from June 1 to 15 was 23,403 whereas the average tests carried out from July 1 to 15 was 22,969. However, the average COVID-19 cases detected from June 1-15 are 5,056 and from July 1-15 is 3097.” This decline, he said in the number of positive cases was mainly due to the administrative measures taken to implement smart lockdown and implementation of safety guidelines. The decrease in pandemic spread was not due to reduction of tests per say rather public behaviour of adhering to SOPs compliance and health guidelines helped to contain the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Minister for Interior Brig (R) Ijaz Ahmad Shah on Thursday warned the elements involved in spreading disinformation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) of strict action, directing the departments concerned to closely monitor their activities and bring them to task.
“We will take strict action against the spread of disinformation regarding COVID-19,” he said while chairing a meeting on COVID-19 Disinformation Prevention Mechanism here at the Ministry of Interior, a news release said.
The committee consists of nine members, with Dr Faisal Sultan holding the seat of Senior Member, while other members include representatives of Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) , Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and National Command and Operation Center.
The interior minister asked the Director Cyber Wing of FIA to closely monitor and hold the responsible ones accountable for their actions, reiterating that “strict and immediate action should be taken against these people.” Ijaz said those involved in such actions were not pro country or its people.
“The primary purpose of this committee is to ensure that correct information goes to our people,” he added. He vowed to utilize all available resources in finding out the elements behind spread of disinformation. The minister highlighted the role of media and stressed the need for making collective efforts to effectively counter the virus.
