ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Coordination Committee (NCC) decided on Wednesday to extend the ongoing restrictions to fight COVID-19 for at least two more weeks across the country, announced Asad Umar, the planning minister, while adding that the strict measures taken to ensure social distancing in Pakistan had proved effective in limiting the spread of the disease.

Addressing a joint news conference with Dr. Zafar Mirza and Moeed Yusuf, the prime minister’s advisers, after the sixth NCC meeting in the federal capital, Umar said the decisions were taken by all federating units with consensus.

Previously, Pakistani provinces had decided to impose lockdowns on their own after Prime Minister Imran Khan raised concerns about the well-being of ordinary citizens, such as daily wage earners, and refused to take strict measures.

He also criticized the provincial authorities while interacting with journalists, saying it was unfortunate that such critical decisions were taken in Pakistan to cater to elite interest.

More recently, Khan also gave India’s example, noting that Indian administration had apologized to its citizens for imposing a lockdown since it had hurt significant number of people who were living in abysmal poverty.

Umar, who enumerated various NCC decisions on Wednesday, was cautious not to use the word “lockdown,” though he admitted that the preventive measures taken across the country had helped the situation.

“If we had not imposed these restrictions,” he noted, “we would probably have been dealing with greater number of coronavirus cases in the country.”

However, he warned that the restrictions were only going to prove effective and limit the spread of the virus if people continued to get basic necessities of life.

He said that the government would review the situation on the basis of available date before April 14 to determine if the restrictions should be continued or relaxed.

Umar emphasized that goods transport would continue across the country, and people would be able to access food items and medicines.

The planning minister noted that the government had decided to continue suspension of all flight operations within the country under the current situation.

However, the stranded overseas Pakistanis would be brought back to the country through special flights from Islamabad and Karachi, the minister announced.

“Over 2,000 Pakistani nationals will be brought back to their homeland through 17 PIA [Pakistan International Airlines] flights starting from April 3 to 11,” said Yusuf on the occasion.

All passengers will be tested for coronavirus and quarantined, he added.

Talking about the number of virus cases in Pakistan, Dr. Mirza said the national tally had risen to 2,039, adding: “We saw a sharp spike in the number of cases in the country yesterday [Tuesday].” 

Giving a province-wise breakdown, he said there were 708 cases in Punjab, 676 in Sindh, 253 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 158 in Balochistan, 184 in Gilgit Baltistan, 54 in Islamabad and six in Azad Kashmir.

Mirza said that 82 patients had recovered so far, while the death toll from the pandemic was at 26.

The government recently announced Rs.2.5 trillion package to fight the spread of coronavirus in the country and support the masses hit by the effects of any economic meltdown.