ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Sunday lambasted the opponents, particularly Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for pressing the government for a complete lockdown in the country, saying the federal government adopted a balanced strategy in fight against Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in positive results.

Speaking at a news conference along with Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus and Focal Person on Covid-19 Dr Faisal Sultan, Faraz said that the 'elite' of the country were doing politics on coronavirus pandemic and "they must be ashamed of themselves".

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 1226 new coronavirus cases were registered in the last 24 hours on Sunday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 273113, with a total death of 35. Whereas, 23,256 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours.

"The 'elite' who were saying something in the meetings of NCOC and doing something else on the ground in the province...they even were praying for a further outbreak of the pandemic. It was their ill intention that's why they wanted a complete lockdown across the country," the minister said in a reference to PPP's leadership and its provincial government in Sindh.

He said that the entire world is appreciating Pakistan's model and adopting as well in some countries, "but they [opponents] even don't have the courage, at least, to appreciate the government's effective strategy of smart lockdown".

Faraz said that coronavirus had engulfed the entire world, but Pakistan introduced a policy of the smart lockdown in the situation to save precious lives and the economy as well, adding that the NCOC played a vital role and managed the situation scientifically. He said that countries like Pakistan cannot afford a complete lockdown policy.

He pointed out that some countries observed strict lockdown to stop the spread of the global pandemic but they are facing disturbing economic hardships and rising death toll.

He added that the government also disbursed cash assistance among over 13 million deserving families at their door steps. He said the government will also deal with the economic hurdles and 'the nation will witness an improving economy due to the economy-friendly policies of the government'.

The minister said that although the cases of coronavirus is on the down trend in the country, yet people need to continue adopting the precautionary measures, adding that the people should take the measures seriously that are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

"The pandemic has not yet over and if the people stop following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the special care, situations could once again go to the worst," he warned.

Speaking on the occasion Tania Aidrus said the federal and provincial governments and armed forces took collective decisions and introduced a targeted TTQ - trace, testing and quarantine - strategy. She said one-third COVID-19 tests are being conducted under the strategy. She said that the objective of smart lockdown policy was to control the epidemic maintaining the economy.

She said the complete lockdown strategy could have a detrimental effect on the public and the economy as well, adding that the number of positive cases on daily basis is declining now.

Dr Faisal Sultan said that the federal government and the provinces are on one page to cope with the global pandemic and played a commendable role in this regard.

He said that the nation should keep following the SOPs strictly and seriously to stop further spread of the virus during Eid-ul-Azha and Muharram. He said that strictly following the SOPs is also necessary because the government is also going to reopen the schools in mid of September. He urged the people to avoid crowds without wearing masks.

He said that all indicators are showing a decline in spread of the pandemic spread, adding that the success was made possible due to teamwork.

To a question, he denied the impression that the testing has been reduced, saying that the number of testing has been reduced because of decline in new cases. He said that in June the maximum tests conducted were 32,000 and today the number was 24,000.

Currently, he added that there are 102 laboratories across the country, both in the public and private sector conducting the tests. "When the positive cases were on the rise, the number of tests was on the rise - and when the symptoms and cases showed a down trend, the testing automatically came to a decrease," he explained.

Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference separately, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that the sale of sacrificial animals and establishment of cattle markets within cities are strictly banned across the country.

He said that special preparations have been made in consultations with all stakeholders to implement Standard Operating Procedure during Eid days. He warned that the coronavirus pandemic could further spread if SOPs are not followed properly by the people, adding that the SOPs should also be followed during offering of Eid prayers.

He advised citizens to prefer purchasing of sacrificing animals through online outlets instead of going to cattle markets with a view to avoid the crowd.

He also urged the people to prefer collective sacrifice arranged instead of individual fulfillment of the ritual to maintain social distancing and prevent spread of the virus.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020