Relief fund

These are radical times. We must be ready to implement bold, radical and farsighted policies to control and cure victims of Covid-19.

We must seek guidance from China foremost to learn from their experience of how they were able to get to zero infections in Wuhan and also control the virus in other cities and areas.

The cases of the infected are increasing in Pakistan every day and we are aware that these cases will keep multiplying as they have in China, Italy, Spain and elsewhere.

It is the government's responsibility to take immediate measures to isolate towns and cities, districts and divisions where the virus is spreading – including lockdowns wherever necessary. It is also a must to provide testing kits, masks and other equipment to hospitals. Also more hospital beds and conversion of suitable premises to emergency hospitals like the Sindh government's decision to convert Karachi's Expo Centre into a 1,000 bed hospital.

The effect of these radical steps will hurt wage earners, the poor, the marginalised most, and these vulnerables of our society must be supported by the rest of us.

Due to the age-old mismanagement of our economy, Pakistan does not possess the resources to meet the demands that the government will be faced with soon. It is feared that inaction or half measures by the government can lead to many deaths, chaos and panic leading to mass riots.

Therefore, it is suggested that the government immediately sets up a Corona Relief Fund to meet some of the needs for the vulnerable. The contributors to this fund may be:

All government, public sector, and private sector employees earning salaries of Rs50,000 and more pay 10 percent of their monthly salary to the Corona Relief Fund for six months and a further six months if a review finds it necessary.

Since the coronavirus poses the greatest ever risk to the country, it is suggested that the defence budget be reduced by at least 15 percent for one year.

All businesses should pay 10 percent of their profits to the Fund. An appeal to those whom God has blessed with plenty to come up with handsome voluntary donations to the Fund.

The government can only succeed in this Fund drive if it is completely transparent and a committee to control and disburse these funds is formed consisting of 50 percent government members (one member nominated by each province and two from the federal government) and 50 percent private persons.

Besides this Fund, more funds and assistance shall be required from resource rich countries. If Pakistan makes this kind of huge effort domestically, the world will be suitably impressed to meet its needs to help it and the world in containing this pandemic.

The writer is afreelance contributor.