President Alvi calls for strict adherence to virus SOPs

ISLAMABAD: As the country witnesses surge in Covid-19 cases again, President Dr Arif Alvi advised the people on Sunday to strictly adhere to the precautions of wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing.

In a video message, the President said the country had contained the virus to a great extent but it was not eliminated, thus necessitating constant observance of anti-Covid standard operating procedures (SOPs). He also called for avoiding gatherings at wedding halls and hugging in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said the country had recorded the highest 6,825 cases on June 14, which dropped to 185 on August 31, but again the daily figure had crossed 700 mark. Dr Alvi said the government had faced the Covid-19 challenge through smart lockdowns and simultaneously ensured the business activity so as to save people from unemployment.

He mentioned that after a bit decline, the disease had resurfaced in America, France, Spain, England and other European countries. He said Pakistan had tackled the coronavirus effectively after the people adhered to the precautions by wearing masks in mosques and markets, besides frequently washing hands and observing social distancing.

He said in order to avert its resurgence the people need to keep observing precautions for few more months to purge the country of the disease.

The President further said by pursuing the prudent vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the people were kept from losing their jobs and the poor ones were assisted through Ehsaas Programme.

Meanwhile, the country reported 16 deaths and 567 coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, as the nationwide tally of fatalities jumped to 6,654 and the number of positive cases surged to 323,019. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday, Sindh remains the worst hit province by the pandemic in terms of Covid-19 cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Islamabad.

Till now, 141,713 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh; 101,559 in Punjab; 38,598 in KPK; 17,996 in Islamabad; 15,669 in Balochistan; 3,437 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir; and 4,047 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan has so far conducted 4,074,024 coronavirus tests and 32,062 in last 24 hours. About 307,069 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country, whereas 534 patients are in critical condition.