ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday his government would not impose another lockdown in the country amid rising COVID-19 infections, though he urged people to cooperate with the government by taking necessary precautionary measures since it would prevent further strain on the healthcare system.
"We have decided that we will not shut down our factories or take other measures that can undermine people's livelihoods," he said while addressing a news conference in Lahore. "We cannot do that to our laborers who work hard all day long to feed their children. However, I will ask everyone to follow the SOPs [standard operating procedures]. The easiest thing to do is to wear a face mask."
Khan said that the country had managed to come out of difficult economic circumstances, though he added that the recovery process could be impeded by the second wave of the pandemic.
He also noted that the coronavirus cases were rapidly increasing in the country while admitting that hospitals were coming under increasing pressure.
The prime minister maintained that the growing number of COVID-19 cases could not only reverse the country's economic gains but also put further pressure on its healthcare system, if people did not adopt necessary safety measures to curb the spread of the virus.
