ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province imposed a complete lockdown on Monday as part of desperate measures to contain the spread of coronavirus, after six people died and 803 confirmed cases were reported across the country.
“I have no other option but to save the people of Sindh from this epidemic, ” Sindh’s Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in a video message released on Sunday.
In Karachi, the country’s largest city and Sindh’s provincial capital, roads wore a deserted look on Monday after the enforcement of the lockdown which began on Sunday midnight and is expected to last for two weeks.
Shah laid down stringent identification rules for citizens trying to leave their homes for any non-essential travel. A vast majority of Pakistan’s confirmed cases have emerged in the southern province.
Shah said he was making the announcement in the presence of all political parties. He added power and gas supplying companies had been directed not to collect payment on household bills less than Rs. 4,000 for electricity and Rs. 2,000 for gas for the month.
Sindh and Punjab’s provincial governments have also asked for army assistance in the crisis, prohibiting the assembly of people under the constitution.
Additionally, Islamabad’s district administration has imposed Section 144 in the territory for the next 15 days, which bars the unlawful gathering of people in efforts to encourage social distancing measures.
Northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has meanwhile suspended all inter-city travel and closed down markets, shopping malls and restaurants in the province.
On Saturday, Pakistan announced it was suspending all incoming international flights for two weeks.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out the possibility of a complete lockdown in the country and urged people to observe self-discipline and quarantine to fight the outbreak of coronavirus in Pakistan.
According to figures updated on Sunday, the confirmed cases in the country stood at 760 people with four fatalities reported, according to the federal portal for coronavirus information.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, PM Khan said the government could not provide millions living under the poverty line with food and necessities if a curfew was imposed and if people, especially daily wagers, were confined to their homes.
“If the condition were similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown,” the prime minister said, referring to the European country where the number of fatalities have now far outnumbered deaths in the virus epicenter of China.
Panic, Khan warned, was more dangerous than the disease itself.
“Panic leads to people hoarding and creating a shortage (of essentials). You need to put your trust in me and my team because we are working on how to tackle this pandemic,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Sunday that the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic could have a “colossal impact on the health and livelihoods of ordinary Pakistanis.”
“Small businesses must be given non-collateralized credit support, while enterprises should be given tax breaks conditioned on their retaining staff. In addition to existing beneficiaries, the Ehsaas and Benazir Income Support Programmes must be used to reach daily-wage earners immediately to provide them with enhanced livelihood support,” HRCP said.
