As we reopen

As part of the government’s decision to end the lockdown on most sectors following the drop in Covid-19 infections, the tourism sector has been among those opened up all over the country. To escape the heat and humidity of the plains, people have travelled in large numbers to popular tourist spots. This has created a sudden change in the eco-culture of these locations. There are also other issues. While the brief blooming of nature has begun to fade as roads are once again littered by tourists carrying plastic bags or other containers of food, there have also been reports of possible Covid transmission in crowded hotels and amongst populations that have not yet been exposed to the virus. To avoid this, the government of Gilgit-Baltistan has insisted that any person entering the area carried a Covid-negative test result obtained from the AKUH laboratory to ensure local people remained protected. This measure is being implemented by GB. But of course the risk remains the same in other places with less determined administrations.

It is unclear in what form Pakistan will emerge from the reopening of facilities not only in tourist areas but also in other parts of the country. In Lahore, Karachi and other large cities for example restaurants, eateries and other businesses have been opened up. While some SOPs have been put in place, these are limited and are not always followed. The use of masks has for example fallen sharply in most areas. People seem to believe that Covid-19 has disappeared for good. While we hope that this is indeed the case, we cannot be sure that there will be no increase in transmission of a virus that has spiked again in many countries of the world including the UK, Spain and even New Zealand which had been particularly proud of being amongst the first countries in the world to bring its number of cases down to zero.

We must hope that Pakistan does not see a spread of Covid-19 at new locations within the country as tourists from major cities begin crowding hotels and rest houses. Of course, such activity is essential to keep the economy running and we welcome it for this reason. At the same time however, a measure of caution is required. People need to be persuaded to follow the SOPs put in place by every sector and these SOPs reviewed in some areas such as sport to make sure they fit in with international guidelines. In some cases, this does not appear to be happening. Naturally we hope that Pakistan miraculously defeats Covid-19. We also hope a vaccine will become available by early next year so that people can be protected — but till then there can be no escape from following SOPs and ensuring people protect themselves and others through simple measures such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance whether they are travelling or at home.