Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that the government has decided to ease the lockdown in the country considering the impact it has had on the economy.
He was speaking after the meeting of National Coordination Committee (NCC), which is the apex coronavirus decision-making body comprising top civil and military leaders including the provincial chief executives.
“We have decided to open the country in a phased manner from Saturday and it is now the responsibility of the masses to follow the rules otherwise we would be forced to reverse the decision.”
PM Imran said, “I was in favour of allowing public transport but the provinces did not agree to it. So, it has been decided that the provinces will make their own standard operating procedures (SOPs) and share with the Centre.”
The prime minister said that the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) headed by Planning Minister Asad Umar meets daily and analyses the current situation and take input from the provinces as well.
They consult with doctors and experts and then take the decision, said the premier.
“We are still not sure when will the coronavirus peak come, in one or two months, but we have to open our industries as the daily wage earners and labourers are suffering due to the lockdown and closure of businesses.”
Pakistan’s situation is better as compared to other European and rich nations, he said.
The premier noted that the tax collection had already gone down by 35%.
PM Imran said that the government has announced the relief package of Rs 1.2 trillion, which is the “biggest in Pakistan’s history”.
We have to strike a balance in curbing the virus and fighting the hunger in the country, he added.
PM’s focal person on coronavirus, Dr Faisal Sultan said we consult colleagues from around the world and seek their input to make policies accordingly.
“We keep a close eye on global trends. Our trajectory of the cases is slow but we don’t want to ease restriction in such a way that we lose control of the disease.”
