Their anxiety is understandable. But it is a complex problem, with far more serious implications than many in this country are willing or able to recognise. On Thursday, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood said in the National Assembly that the government was considering bringing Pakistani citizens back home. The next day Adviser to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Zafar Mirza, told journalists the government had decided not to evacuate Pakistanis from China for fear of the epidemic spreading across Pakistan. That seemed to be a sensible decision in view of the fact that even though on Friday the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a public health emergency for coronavirus - scientifically known as Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCOV) - amid mounting evidence of the virus spreading to some 18 countries, it also advised member states not to evacuate their citizens from China. For, that country has been responding to the challenge in a responsible and transparent manner right from the beginning, slowing down the spread of the virus by locking down the worst-affected areas and sharing information with the world. And its medical facilities are effectively dealing with the challenge. Four Pakistanis infected with the virus are reported to be improving in China.
That is important. As the WHO Director-General noted at a presser in Geneva "our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems." Unfortunately, Pakistan falls in this category. It seems to be the main reason behind government's reluctance to evacuate its citizens. Nevertheless, it needs to offer reassurance to its panicked citizens. PTI Senator Shibli Faraz informed the upper house of Parliament on Friday that the decision not to evacuate is not definitive, if the situation changes people will be moved out on that basis. Instead of waiting for the situation to take a turn for the worse, the government ought to act with a sense of urgency. It should bring back Pakistanis as soon as possible, making foolproof screening and quarantine arrangements to ensure they do not pass on the virus to others.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020