ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government announced on Thursday that prayer attendance at mosques would be restricted to a “few people,” while all educational institutions will remain closed until May 31 in a move to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Friday prayers and other prayers across the country will remain limited to a few people only. Mosques will not be closed, but congregations will remain limited to a few healthy people,” Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said at a press conference in Islamabad, following a National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by all four provincial chief ministers, senior cabinet ministers and military leadership.
“We are doing all this to prevent spread of the virus,” Minister Qadri said, adding that President Arif Alvi had helped in reaching a consensus among religious leaders on the mosque prayers restriction.
While announcing the extension of school closures from April 5 to May 31, Planning Minister Asad Umar also said that transportation limitations will be reviewed on Friday, as movement of heavy vehicles is necessary to ensure food supplies.
“There is no wheat or flour shortage in the country, enough stocks are available,” he assured the public, “The government won’t allow any hoarding, and the state will move with full force against hoarders.”
The prime minister's special assistant on public health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, said the government would provide personal protection equipment (PPE) to all health workers by April 5, while 30,000 of them will get the protective gear by Sunday.
“We are trying our best to ensure safety of our health workers,” he said.
Pakistan has 194,000 health practitioners, 30,000 of whom work in intensive care units.
Also during the NCC meeting, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal said the government has established 162,000 quarantine beds across the country, including at three and four-star hotels.
The government wants to increase the number of ventilators at hospitals from the current 2,200 to 10,000 by May, he said, adding that disinfection was underway in the places where big numbers of coronavirus cases have been reported.
Pakistan had 1,118 known cases of the coronavirus with eight fatalities as of Thursday. The first case was recorded on Feb. 20.
A host of measures to contain the outbreak have been taken by the government, including the suspension of air travel, partial lockdowns of cities, and establishment of large quarantine centers.
Pakistan restricts mosque prayers in virus precaution
https://arab.news/gpmjn
Pakistan restricts mosque prayers in virus precaution
- 30,000 health workers to be provided with protective gear by Sunday
- Disinfection underway in cities where big numbers of coronavirus cases have been reported — NDMA
Pakistan lauds female polio workers as push to end virus intensifies
- Acknowledgement comes as Pakistan marks annual campaign promoting women’s rights and safety
- Ayesha Raza Farooq says the real strength of the polio program is its female workers and their bravery
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top polio official on Tuesday praised the country’s female vaccination workers for their “extraordinary contribution” to the eradication drive, saying their efforts were central to ending the virus as Pakistan marked the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an annual campaign to promote women’s rights and safety.
Female health workers administer the majority of polio drops in Pakistan, going door to door in remote, high-risk and conservative communities where women are best positioned to gain access to children.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, alongside neighboring Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic. The country has so far reported 30 cases this year.
“What you do is extraordinary, and your courage in all circumstances is the reason Pakistan will soon be polio-free,” said Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s focal person on polio eradication, during a meeting with frontline workers in Islamabad.
“Pakistan’s real strength in this program is its female polio workers,” she added.
Farooq said she had listened to the concerns of field teams and assured them of full government support.
She maintained that female vaccinators had shown “remarkable bravery” despite difficult terrain, security concerns and community resistance in some areas.
In October, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) named Farooq Pakistan’s first gender champion for her leadership in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in public health and in the eradication effort.
Pakistan is scheduled to kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive of 2025, according to the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC), with an aim to inoculate 45 million children.
The NEOC has also urged parents to coordinate with health workers during the campaign.
