Should there be a complete nationwide lockdown in Pakistan right now?

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday the Sindh government would not be allowed to impose a complete lockdown in the province as the federal government’s policy on controlling the spread of Covid-19 was crystal clear.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the provinces could not take unilateral decisions in this regard, the minister pointed out while commenting on the Sindh government’s announcement about imposition of a lockdown in the province.

In a statement, Mr Chaudhry said that under Article 151 of the Constitution, Pakistan is a single market with the port of Karachi acting as the “jugular vein of its economy”. Any move that could affect the country’s economic lifeline could not be allowed.

The Sindh government had been given a clear message that unilateral decisions could not be allowed in this regard, he said.

Mr Chaudhry was of the view that the option of imposing a complete lockdown was “not available to any provincial government”.

The policy about the Covid pandemic was formulated by the federation and the National Command and Control Centre and the provinces were bound to implement it, he said.

The minister said the government had “fought hard against the virus” and had so far managed to save many lives while maintaining a stable economy.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, was of the opinion that a complete lockdown would severely affect the working class, particularly the daily wage earners. Had the Sindh government implemented the SOPs effectively, the situation in Karachi would not be so grim today.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2021

 

[Itachi]

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday the Sindh government would not be allowed to impose a complete lockdown in the province as the federal government’s policy on controlling the spread of Covid-19 was crystal clear.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the provinces could not take unilateral decisions in this regard, the minister pointed out while commenting on the Sindh government’s announcement about imposition of a lockdown in the province.

In a statement, Mr Chaudhry said that under Article 151 of the Constitution, Pakistan is a single market with the port of Karachi acting as the “jugular vein of its economy”. Any move that could affect the country’s economic lifeline could not be allowed.

The Sindh government had been given a clear message that unilateral decisions could not be allowed in this regard, he said.

Mr Chaudhry was of the view that the option of imposing a complete lockdown was “not available to any provincial government”.

The policy about the Covid pandemic was formulated by the federation and the National Command and Control Centre and the provinces were bound to implement it, he said.

The minister said the government had “fought hard against the virus” and had so far managed to save many lives while maintaining a stable economy.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, was of the opinion that a complete lockdown would severely affect the working class, particularly the daily wage earners. Had the Sindh government implemented the SOPs effectively, the situation in Karachi would not be so grim today.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2021

If anything goes wrong, IK should be personally held responsible after this.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1637981/ppp-pti-leaders-trade-barbs-over-imposition-of-lockdown-in-karachi

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday lashed out at the government for its criticism of the lockdown in Sindh, stating that Prime Minister Imran Khan and his ministers would be the ones responsible if the Covid situation in Karachi became similar to India's.

"If coronavirus spreads in the province or in Karachi like [it did] in India then Khan sahab and his ministers will be responsible," he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

The PPP chairman said that the current back and forth was sending a message of "not one but two Pakistans" and pointed out the lockdowns placed by the PTI government on various cities in Punjab in the wake of rising cases.

"They are undermining our efforts when in Karachi, the biggest economic capital of the country, the positivity rate is more than 30 per cent," he said.

Bilawal said the Delta variant was "100pc more infectious" compared to the original virus, adding that it was the federal government's responsibility to take care of every citizen. "Instead of taking care of us [...] we are being called jahil (illiterate)."

Bilawal hit back at the government for its cavalier attitude, adding that this demonstrated that the government wanted to politicise all issues, including people's health and lives. "They are not ready to do anything themselves and don't let anyone else do anything."

Bilawal said if government ministers were not satisfied with the policies adopted by the province then they should've "stayed quiet" and tried to help. "Instead they are sabotaging the Sindh government's steps to protect the people."

He said the federal government had access to and looked at the same data available with the Sindh government including the extent of the disease spread in Karachi.

"They knew that the Sindh government would have to adopt such strictness. [Despite] this, people's health and lives are being played with due to political reasons," he said.

Earlier today, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry emphasised that no provincial government could take unilateral decisions and bypass the orders of the federal government and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) [for containing the coronavirus spread].

Speaking to media in Lahore, Chaudhry specifically referred to the Sindh government, and asked it to “immediately” open industries that it had shut under its nine-day province-wide lockdown announced yesterday.

“The way Sindh government is trying to impose restrictions, it will only add to plights of common men. The province is the jugular vein of Pakistan's economy and when it’s improving, you are talking about imposing a lockdown,” the minister lamented.

He said the Sindh government's decision had raised concern for the Centre. “When your strategy is yielding results, you don’t change it this [haphazard] manner,” he added.

Taking a dig at the Sindh government, he said the strategy that was being given to the provincial government must be adhered to. “If you were wise enough, Karachi should not have been in the condition it is today,” he added.

The minister underlined that if the Sindh government unilaterally went against the directions of the NCOC and the federal government, “it will direly affect the national economy”.

He emphasised there should be no curfew-like situation in Karachi nor should any industry close. “You must focus on vaccinations and industries with 100 per cent vaccination of its workers should be opened,” he advised.

Chaudhry termed the provincial government's decision “inappropriate”, adding Articles 149 and 151 of the Constitution and a decision of the Supreme Court was also very clear on it. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that provinces could not take unilateral decisions in this regard.

“You cannot take unilateral decisions on the matter. You cannot neglect the strategy of federal government. All your plans should be devised after approval of the NCOC and under the guidelines of the federal government,” he said.

Earlier, he said India didn't take necessary steps for containing Covid-19 and the fourth wave ballooned up from there. “Our economies were recovering but the Indian government’s irresponsible policies affected the world and Delta variant spread in its wake,” he regretted.

Pakistan has seen coronavirus infections soar, dominated by Delta variant, and its poor health infrastructure is under extreme pressure.

The national positive test rate for Covid-19 stands at 8.4pc, according to the NCOC. The rate in Karachi crossed 26pc in recent days.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development and head of the NCOC Asad Umar tweeted that no one should doubt that the NCOC was a national platform whose decisions were not influenced by politics, adding "all decisions are made solely for the betterment of the nation".

He said it was hoped that the Sindh government, during a NCOC meeting tomorrow, will consult in detail on all related issues and formulate a strategy in which all the pillars of the state work together to protect health and employment of the people of Sindh.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday had a message for the Sindh government, in the backdrop of its decision to impose a province-wide lockdown, whereby he said that opting for such a measure means people going hungry.

The prime minister's statement came as he took live calls from citizens across the country. "We do not want to damage our economy by imposing a lockdown [...] We took the right decision by imposing smart lockdowns."

The premier reminded people to continue to observe coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) because of the widespread Delta variant of the virus.

He also spoke about how imposing a complete lockdown in the country is not the solution and cited the example of India, where the situation worsened for poor people when such a measure was taken.

The Indian government only thought of the upper and elite classes, he said, adding: "Therefore, a smart lockdown is the most viable solution [...] We cannot destroy our economy by imposing a complete lockdown."

The prime minister noted that the only way to curb the spread of coronavirus was for people to get vaccinated, as he highlighted that the government had successfully administered 30 million jabs so far.

Smart lockdowns can be imposed in areas identified as hotspots, he said, adding that schools should not reopen unless all the teachers get vaccinated.

"The schools which have not vaccinated their teachers should be shut down."

Answering a question regarding job quotas, the premier said that the Centre's jurisdiction was smaller as compared to provinces, therefore, he would instruct all the provinces to allot job quotas to deserving people.

He said that leaders who are scared of free media are the ones who are either corrupt or have something to hide.

"If I had apartments in London [or had been involved in corrupt activities], I would have been scared of a free media too," he said.

"I only oppose the media when fake news is disseminated, otherwise free media is a blessing for any country."

The premiere also shed light on the future of the government's flagship Ehsaas Programme.

In response to a question, the premier said that he could earlier not invest time in developing sports in the country but now — during the last two years of his government's tenure — he will oversee the development of sports in the country.

Shedding light on loadshedding, he acknowledged it had caused trouble to the people, adding that the country's power supply was affected due to water shortages as the dams received 35% less water this year.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

The federal government on Monday revived several coronavirus-related strict restrictions as the ongoing fourth wave turned dangerous with the single-day tally of new cases staying close to 5,000, depicting an alarming national positivity ratio of 8.61%.

In the wake of rising numbers of Covid patients, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) – the nerve centre of the government’s anti-pandemic strategy – decided to re-impose certain restrictions in selected cities for a period of one month from Tuesday (today) till August 31.

Announcing the revised guidelines, NCOC chief and Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the government was taking “targeted and staggered” decisions to curb the spread of the pandemic – now mostly fuelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus.

“After approval of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the NCOC has decided” to impose certain restrictions in almost all the major cities of the country, where the market hours have been cut and office attendance reduced to 50%, Umar told a press conference.

The minister, flanked by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, said that the cites under restrictions would be Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Gilgit and Skardu.

Umar, who heads the NCOC, told reporters the Sindh government had already imposed smart lockdown in Karachi and Hyderabad till August 8, therefore, the measures announced by the federal government would be applied there from August 9.

Under the restrictions, markets, which were allowed to remain open till 10 pm, would now again close at 8 pm in these selected cities. They will observe two off days in a week instead of one. “The off days will be decided by the provinces,” Umar said.

Furthermore, the government withdrew the permission granted for indoor dining for the vaccinated people because of very weak compliance seen at the restaurants. It was decided that outdoor dining would be allowed till 10 pm and take-away service till 12 midnight.

With respect to offices, the planning minister pointed out that for the month of August 50% attendance would be allowed in all public and private offices, while the remaining 50% employees would work from home.

“The prime minister is totally against imposing complete lockdown from the very beginning of the pandemic. Under the directions of the prime minister, the government developed a policy of smart lockdown which proved successful in the first three waves of Covid,” Umar said.

“The same policy is being adopted in the fourth wave as well,” he added. “In order to ensure their [daily-wage earners] livelihoods and to save them from the pandemic, the government has developed a balanced and targeted lockdown strategy.”

The NCOC chief warned that the number of Covid patients was rising, especially in big cities, and so was hospitalisation. “The minister urged the people to get themselves vaccinated as early as possible to keep themselves safe from the Indian-origin Delta variant of the virus.

“As per the data, the people who got the first dose of Covid vaccine were three times safer than those who are not inoculated, while the people with both doses are three times safer than those who received only first jab,” he said.

Earlier, the NCOC said in its daily update that the national tally of active Covid-19 cases rose to 73,213 on Monday, as 4,858 more people tested positive for the virus, while 1,361 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours.

Among the active cases, the update said, 3,889 patients were admitted to 639 Covid-dedicated hospitals across the country, including 3,441 patients in critical condition. It added that 233 were brought to the hospitals during the past 24 hours, while 318 patients were on ventilators.

The forum said that 40 patients, 38 of whom in hospitals, including 19 on ventilators, died during the past 24 hours. It added that most of the deaths, 20, occurred in Sindh, followed by 8 in Punjab. The nationwide death toll from the disease rose to 23,462.

Since the pandemic broke out in February 2020, the national caseload of the contagion has risen to 1,039,695. Among them, 943,020 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant recovery ratio of over 90%.

 

[MenInG]

Despite a significantly high number of active Covid-19 cases in the province fuelled by the more contagious Delta variant, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday decided to lift the lockdown in Sindh, imposed last week to stem the spread of the coronavirus, from Monday.

This emerged during the meeting of the NCOC in Karachi presided over by its chief, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, National Coordinator NCOC Lieutenant General Hamood-Uz-Zaman Khan and others also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, it was decided that smart lockdowns would be imposed in areas where the positivity rate was high, whereas issues such as reopening of educational institutions and holding of remaining examinations would be decided during the next meeting of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC).

 

[MenInG]

Smart lockdown to be imposed in parts of Peshawar district from today

A smart lockdown will be imposed in parts of Peshawar district to control the spread of the Covid-19 disease, according to a notification from the office of the deputy commissioner of Peshawar.

It added that the smart lockdown would come into effect from 9pm on August 13 (today) and "shall remain in force till further orders".

The smart lockdown will be imposed on the following areas:

Bara Gate area bound by Bara road and Al Faisal street
Charsadda Road area bound by Canal Road, Charsadda Road and Pajjagi Link Road
Mahal Terai area bound by Dalazak Road and Ring Road
Street No 1, Darmangi Garden, Warsak Road
The notification said no entry or exit would be allowed to these localities except for people supplying essential commodities.

All types of gatherings would be strictly prohibited. All shops — apart from essential services such as pharmacies and general stores — would also remain closed.

Additionally, congregations in mosques would be limited to five people.

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced on Friday that schools will remain closed for another week as the province continued to battle an onslaught of Covid-19 cases.

The chief minister announcement came while addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister House.

On August 17, the Sindh government had announced reopening educational institutions across the province from Monday (August 23).

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, provincial Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that only those schools will be allowed to resume classes where 100 per cent teaching and non-teaching staffers have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

He added that educational institutions will be required to follow 50 per cent attendance policy in line with the Covid-19 SOPs to contain the spread of contagious disease.