Imran urges ‘weary’ nation to wear masks as fourth wave looms

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has appealed to the nation to follow safety guidelines — in particular, wearing face masks — and get themselves vaccinated to protect themselves from a looming fourth wave of the coronavirus.

In televised remarks on the coronavirus situation in the country on Thursday, he said an upward trend in coronavirus cases was being witnessed after weeks of going downwards, and expressed fears that the fourth wave could overwhelm the country and once again force closures of markets.

His remarks come as 1,683 more people tested positive for Covid, the largest increase in daily infections since June 5. Active cases jumped to 34,531, and 24 people lost their lives. The coronavirus positivity ratio also rose to 3.3 per cent, according to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data.

The Prime Minister therefore said wearing of face masks at crowded and enclosed spaces “is the simplest way to protect oneself from the pandemic” and urged what he admitted was a nation “weary” of adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs) to wear them.

He warned that the Delta variant, which originated from India “is currently the biggest issue for the entire world, including Pakistan”.

Pakistanis, fresh off the third wave have long since ditched mask mandates — which authorities found difficult to enforce — and have resumed pre-pandemic activities, including attending packed wedding halls and dining indoors. Khan urged the general public to adhere to the preventative measures on the occasion of Eidul Adha to stay safe. He also called upon people to get vaccinated at the earliest.

The Prime Minister said the government “does not want to impose lockdown as it would greatly affect the underprivileged segment of the society and the country’s economy as well”.

Earlier in the day, Planning Minister Asad Umar said the government would not impose a complete lockdown in the fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic, which he feared would start this month.

Addressing an oath-taking ceremony of newly appointed members of the National Youth Council (NYC) in Islamabad, Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said in case the ratio of positive cases goes up, the government will opt for smart lockdowns as was done in the past.

He said the government’s strategy to tackle the pandemic and overcome its after-effects had been “very successful” and the country was placed among the best three performing countries in The Economist’s normalcy index for handling it.

He urged people to continue adhering to standard operating procedures (SoPs) and get vaccinated to properly cope with the fourth wave. Pakistan has so far fully vaccinated just 3.5 million people—just 3.5 per cent of its eligible population—while 14.6 million are partially vaccinated.

The minister said the NCOC, through a letter, informed the Kashmir Election Commission about violations of coronavirus SOPs during ongoing election campaigns.

Meanwhile, 240 Pakistanis, who were stranded in Afghanistan, entered Pakistan through the Torkham border late Wednesday night from where they were taken to quarantines in the Landikotal Tehsil of Khyber.

Only those with vaccination certificates are allowed to go home. For others, medical tests will be conducted and only those with negative results will be allowed to leave. Those tested positive will be kept for at least eight days in quarantine centres, authorities told state media.

As of Thursday, 2,235 patients were admitted across the country, 201 of whom were on ventilators. The top four areas with high ventilators occupancy are Lahore 15 per cent, Multan 14 per cent, Peshawar 14 per cent and Islamabad 12 per cent.

Oxygen beds usage was highest in Gilgit, 82 per cent, followed by Karachi, 29 per cent, Rawalpindi 20 per cent and Multan 18 per cent. A total of 967,633 cases have been detected so far, while 22,493 have died.