Battling the virus

The federal government, which concedes it is desperately short of funds to cope with the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus which has now infected at least 215 people in the country, has surprisingly allocated a generous grant of Rs42.79 million to create a digital media wing at the Ministry of Information. This wing will focus on defending government decisions, promoting its image and countering misleading reports. A team of 23 headed by a general manager will run this wing. It should be noted that the federal government already has at its command the massive network of Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan to manage news it wishes to disseminate.

Right now, we would expect that any available resources are diverted to meet virus-related expenses. While the IMF has said it will not consider expenditures made on treating the virus to be a part of the deficit, so far Pakistan’s management of the problem has raised many questions. The decision to ‘quarantine’ hundreds at Taftan after they crossed over from pilgrimage in Iran has backfired badly as cases among pilgrims from Taftan just keep on rising. It is quite obvious, as Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has emphatically stated and as reports now show, that quarantine arrangements at Taftan were dismal, with returning pilgrims housed in close proximity in cramped spaces. For now, while 736 persons sent from Taftan to Punjab have been tested, there have been few positive results. Questions are now increasingly being raised about such an anomaly in Punjab. Needless to say, we need answers. But more than that we need transparency and clear openness on the part of the federal and provincial governments. Given the rumours, the obvious failures, and the allegations regarding PM Imran’s aide Zulfi Bokhari and the Taftan pilgrims, it is unfortunate that the Punjab and federal governments are being seen to have failed to live up to the standards of transparency that are needed during what will be a serious and lengthy trial for all of us.

On Tuesday night, PM Imran Khan finally addressed the nation. The PM’s address mostly revolved around what the virus is and how it spreads, after which he mentioned Taftan and moved on to the economic consequences of the outbreak. No measures were announced, other than the PM advising caution to the citizens and thanking healthcare workers. For a country so very close to Iran, one would have expected a more well-thought-out speech by the PM. In the meanwhile, the Sindh government – in keeping with the past few weeks – has shown initiative and decided to shut down all malls and restaurants (except for takeaway and delivery options) as well as Seaview and public parks. Indeed, the Sindh government has belied all expectations and risen to the challenge the coronavirus poses to us.

The mass buying of goods meanwhile also threatens to send prices soaring. Already, the Lahore High Court has asked why there is a shortage of hand sanitisers and masks and why prices have been inflated in some cases by 100 percent. Our priority must also be to set up mechanisms to treat patients by ensuring hospitals are properly equipped with sufficient ventilators and other medical facilities – this is something PM Imran Khan also talked about in his address to the nation and said that the government will be getting ventilators and other equipment. Also, it would be inhumane to leave medical staff unprotected. They need proper masking equipment and protective gear. If they are not offered this, how can they be expected to treat the hundreds of corona cases already in the country or the still larger number which is expected over the coming days with health officials complaining that people are still failing to observe quarantine or keep away from crowds?