Next 10 days crucial to contain COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan: Minister

Islamabad: Pakistani officials have urged citizens to strictly follow the health guidelines particularly during Eid Al Adha holidays as the “next 10 days are very crucial” to contain the virus.

“Negligence by the people could hamper the improving health situation in the country” as the novel coronavirus cases in the country have significantly declined, said Planning Minister Asad Umar, who heads the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to fight the pandemic.

The federal minister advised the people to follow the precautionary measures rigorously to avoid the spread of COVID-19 during Eid shopping in markets, sacrificial animal markets, and especially on the Eid days. “If we do not observe the health guidelines, the declining trend of coronavirus cases could once again go up,” he warned at the NCOC meeting in Quetta. Health officials are now focused on enhanced contact tracing and testing.

On Friday, the NCOC announced to launch crackdown against illegal cattle markets across the country to ensure the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the cattle markets and to avoid the spread of the virus. The warning comes after frequent reports of failure of local governments to implement safety precautions in the makeshift animal markets where even elderly and children were witnessed walking around without masks.

State Minister of Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, also warned the “challenge is not over yet” as he called for caution on Eid Al Adha when officials and citizens have to work twice as hard to stop the virus spread.

Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier also appealed to the nation to celebrate the Eid festival with simplicity and take preventive measures. “If we are careless on Eid Al Adha, the virus could spread again and there could be a fresh spike in the number of infections. Hospitals will come under pressure again,” he cautioned.

With 1,200 new coronavirus cases reported during the last day, Pakistan’s overall count surged past 270,400 on Friday, the Health Ministry said. With 219,783 recoveries, Pakistan’s recovery rate is now over 81 per cent. Nearly 1,300 patients are critical and at least 5,763 have died from the virus.