Pakistan on Sunday proposed establishment of a Working Group of respective national authorities for information and data exchange as well as coordination for responses in real-time between the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries and to "learn from and disseminate the experience of SAARC Observer States, particularly China that is effectively addressing the challenge and can share valuable insights."
These proposals were floated by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza at the SAARC member states' Video Conference on COVID-19. "The challenge at hand, demands sagacity, vision and synergy," he said.
"The COVID-19 Pandemic is a global health emergency, the likes of which have not been witnessed in the past century. At the same time, while it has been characterized as global pandemic, it is deemed 'controllable' as well.
Least of all SAARC, which is home to one-fifth of humanity, several of the world's largest mega-cities, and many of the most densely populated regions. Pakistan shares the common concern over the potential of COVID-19 affecting South Asia.
All our countries now have confirmed cases," he said. The World Health Organisation's (WHO's) four-pronged advice offers a reasonable way forward, namely: (a) preparation and readiness; (b) detection, prevention and treatment; C) reduction and suppression; and (d) innovation and improvement, he added.
"Pakistan has been involved in containment efforts right from the outset of the outbreak. We have been alert to the dangers, and have put in place appropriate protocols for the safety and health of our people.
We have been matching our measures to real-time threat assessments. While, we have stressed the need for caution, we have strongly advised against panic,' Mirza added. "A calm and deliberate response is the need for the hour.
In consultation with WHO, we have been taking steps to restrict movement to and from the affected areas, regulate lights, institute detection measures at entry points, and establish quarantine controls at border crossings. Diagnosed cases are being quarantined, and contacts traced proactively.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally overseeing these efforts. Resultantly, Pakistan has managed so far to contain, an achievement the WHO has recognized and commended. Our National Security Committee met on 13 March, for the first time on a national health issue, and has decided to take further steps to contain the spread.
The four pillars of our response strategy include: (A) Governance and Finance; (B) Prevention; (C) Mitigation; and (D) Communication. We have decided inter-alia, to (i) close all educational institutions for three weeks; (ii) close the entire western border for two weeks; (iii) restrict international flights to three airports only; (iv) ban all public gatherings, and (v) reinforce screening and administrative measures at seaports.
The National Disaster Management Authority has been mandated to lead the inter-agency effort at the federal and provincial levels. Effective coordination at all levels is deemed critically important.
The pandemic forces us to think not in terms of nations and States, but as a collective. The unprecedented challenge therefore warrants unprecedented responses. We must recognize that the national and local responses remain the most critically important.
It is equally important to pursue evidence and science-based responses. Stigmatization and stereotyping is counter-productive," the special assistant to PM on health said. Speaking to sections of media, Mirza said security measures have been enhanced at the Western borders to stop the movement of travellers to and from Pakistan-Iran and Pakistan-Afghanistan borders as a preventive measure against coronavirus.
Earlier on Friday, the federal government decided to shut its western borders with Iran and Afghanistan for two weeks, limit international operations only to three major airports, shut educational institutes for three weeks and ban public gatherings.
These decisions were taken in the National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, and attended by military leadership, all provincial chief ministers and relevant authorities.
The NSC also decided to set up the National Coordination Committee on Coronavirus under the chairmanship of special assistant to the PM on health as its convener. On Saturday, the National Coordination Committee on Coronavirus held its first meeting and reviewed the measures to ensure implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP) to prevent spread of COVID-19.
In Pakistan, the coronavirus cases tally was recorded at 52 patients till Sunday evening. The first coronavirus case was reported in Wuhan China on December 31, 2019. On March 11, the WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic. So far, more than 150 countries have been affected by this deadly virus. According to reports, some 156,169 people infected worldwide by coronavirus with 5,830 dead, and 73,966 recovered.
The virus has originated from China but, lately, the focus of this virus devastating impact has shifted from China to Europe and the WHO has named Europe as the new epicentre of coronavirus.
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