If Pakistan follows the example of developed countries and implements a full lockdown, it might lead to disastrous consequences for Pakistan.
The socio-economic situation in Pakistan makes it so that social distancing is a challenging prospect for many Pakistanis. To ask the millions in Pakistan, living below the poverty line to sit at home is impractical. These people do not have easy access to water, soap, food; they earn a living on a daily basis and are overall some of the most impoverished in the world. To close the Pakistani economy is to leave millions of Pakistanis desperate and helpless. This might lead to the complete upheaval of society as many struggle to access basic needs, leading only to the strengthening of the grip the virus has on the nation.
One of the critical reasons for the success of social distancing measures in countries like Canada has been a strong economy. An economy that can survive getting locked down. An economy that allows Ottawa to put money into the hands of Canadians struggling from the dearth of economic activity. The surety that Canadians get regarding their financial well being plays a vital role in allowing them to with peace of mind stay away from their jobs. A peace of mind that Islamabad can not give.
To show how communities react under financial pressure, we need not look any further than the riots in American states. America, the largest economy in the world, failed to provide adequate financial aid to its people, leading many to break social distancing protocols and start rioting. These riots are a testament to how any community put under financial hardships due to this pandemic will try to put food on the table rather than socially distance. So if Americans are struggling to survive without financial aid from their government, why do we expect that Pakistanis will be able to.
There is more to why the prospects of a successful Pakistani lockdown are grim.
It is vital that when Islamabad implements policies, the general public obeys them.
For a country to make progress in mitigation, the government and the people have to work together.
In Pakistan, we continuously see the general publics' attitude towards social distancing is quite ignorant. Many people do not understand the necessity of such practices, and this is truly dangerous. A lack of education and the encouragement given to anti-social distancing supporters by community leaders might play a role in this. To change this attitude of Pakistanis might just be an insurmountable task.
Many factors limit how successful a lockdown in Pakistan can be, but still, Pakistan has to find a way to curb the spread of COVID-19, the lives of millions depend on it.
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