Tag: lockdown

  • Lockdown, you still there?

    Lockdown, you still there?

    As per authorities, a lockdown is not only in place in Pakistan but has also been extended.

    Yet, there is no lockdown.

    We all know that when the federal and provincial governments imposed restrictions all across the country to curb the spread of coronavirus –COVID-19 –, most people followed the rules and stayed indoors. Less traffic was seen on the roads and consequently, the air quality became much better. But most importantly, the lockdown to some extent served its actual purpose in helping the authorities control coronavirus.

    Then in mid-April, the government announced that while the lockdown had been extended, some industries and shops ccould re-open. This led to ulema announcing that they too would reopen mosques and offer Taraweeh during the holy month of Ramzan. The government finally held negotiations with religious scholars and an accord was signed, as per which all mosques would have to follow 20 SOPs to remain open.

    A few days before Ramzan, senior doctors in Karachi held an urgent and heart-wrenching press conference. They said that after the lockdown was eased, a 40 per cent spike in coronavirus cases had been recorded from April 16-21. A 40 per cent increase in just five days. Imagine! The following day, senior doctors in Lahore also held a similar press conference and urged the government to consider imposing a stricter lockdown for the next two weeks.

    All this came amid the government’s realisation of the fact that the number of cases in Pakistan is likely to increase by mid-May. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief also warned of this in his press conference.

    In view of what the medical community was saying, the Sindh government on Thursday night decided to go back to their old SOPs of allowing just 3-5 people — mosque administration — to offer prayers at mosques. The rest of the country has allowed resumption of congregational prayers due to Ramzan. Apparently, not all mosques are following the agreed-upon SOPs. According to a survey conducted by the Pattan Development Organisation and published by Dawn, more than 80 per cent of mosques in Punjab and the federal capital did not put in place the measures agreed upon by the government and ulema regarding first Taraweeh congregations on Friday.

    The government will eventually have to reconsider this relaxation in lockdown. We understand that the economic downturn due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown was something the government was worried about and rightly so. The choice between saving the economy and an increase in coronavirus cases is difficult. But we will have to make a choice. Pakistan has crossed 13,000 cases. The number of deaths is also slowly increasing. We must remain vigilant.

    An aside: In his dua during Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s telethon to raise funds for coronavirus relief, Maulana Tariq Jamil came under fire for criticising media. He later apologised when different anchors conducted shows against what he had said, but what he didn’t apologise for and what was not even highlighted much either, was how he correlated women and ‘behayai’ (vulgarity) and then said this ‘azaab’ is a result of the vices that exist in our society.

    Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari rightly pointed out in a tweet that it was “absurd for anyone under any guise to even suggest the COVID-19 pandemic was a result of women wearing short sleeves or because of private schools/universities misleading the youth. This simply reflects either ignorance abt pandemics or a misogynist mindset. Absolutely unacceptable.”

    In a country where thousands of women are killed in the name of honour annually, where domestic abuse is on the rise, where crimes against women keep increasing instead of decreasing, blaming women for a pandemic is unacceptable.

  • WATCH: Groom takes bride on motorbike amid lockdown

    WATCH: Groom takes bride on motorbike amid lockdown

    A marriage ceremony took place in Karachi, where a groom came on a motorbike to take his newly wedded wife.

    As per reports, the groom went to his in-laws’ house with two witnesses for nikkah on motorbikes due to lockdown and imposed section 144 due to coronavirus spread.

    https://www.facebook.com/100000740856625/videos/3136085909759407/

    Last month, at least nine members of a family contracted coronavirus after they attended a marriage ceremony in Karachi.

    According to details, the nine-member family attended a marriage ceremony, where a woman infected with COVID-19 was present. The woman had arrived from Saudi Arabia and was diagnosed with the deadly virus.

    The coronavirus patient met with the family in the marriage ceremony and had dinner together and infected all the people with the virus.

  • Indian man travels 60 hours in an ambulance to reach home amid lockdown

    Indian man travels 60 hours in an ambulance to reach home amid lockdown

    A school teacher from Assam, India, had gone to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai for the treatment of his father and got stuck there because of the lockdown. He then had to cover a distance of 2,700 km in an ambulance to reach home.

    The 60-hour journey cost them 1,60,000 Indian Rupees in total.

    “My father has blockages in his heart. On March 4, I, along with my brother, took him to Chennai in a train ambulance. There, doctors found that he had problems in his kidney as well. He was recovering and our return flight to Guwahati was on March 18. But on March 17, my father’s health suddenly deteriorated and he had to be admitted to the ICU,” said Baharul Islam.

    On March 30, doctors said he could be brought back home in an ambulance with ICU and oxygen supply provisions. Islam, with the help of his friend arranged an ambulance and started the journey.

    “They charged me Rs 1.6 lakh for the ambulance. Along with my father, my uncle also came with us. There were two drivers and between them they drove for 23 hours each day. We started from the hospital at 10am on March 31 and reached home at 10pm on April 2,” Islam said.

    “It wasn’t the best of the journeys for me…carrying two patients cramped in an ambulance from Chennai was an experience that I will never forget. But I am happy to be back home safe. We stopped a few times on the way to have food. We drove very fast as there was hardly any traffic,” Islam said.

    Islam added that they were stopped by police twice.

    “They checked our papers and let us go. As we reached Kajalgaon near our home, one of the drivers received a call to stop at the nearest hospital. All of us then went to the nearest hospital where doctors did a check-up and sent us, including the two drivers, to home quarantine for 14 days, which ended on April 16,” Islam added.

  • Groom, relatives arrested for violating coronavirus lockdown

    A groom and his relatives were booked for violating the coronavirus lockdown and Section 144 imposed by the government in Muzaffargarh on Monday.

    According to the police, the wedding was taking place in Sanawan’s Pitti Sultan Mehmood. They conducted a raid after receiving a complaint.

    As per reports, the groom, identified as Muzammil, had invited a large number of people there, “For violating the government’s orders, we have arrested the groom and nine of his relatives,” an officer said.

    A case has been registered against them.

  • At least 1,300,000 people in KP to lose jobs in 45 days?

    At least 1.3 million people could lose their jobs if a 45-day lockdown is put in place, a report prepared by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s Planning and Development Department revealed on Sunday.

    The report warns at least 460,000 people working as daily wagers and street vendors are set to lose their employment with “immediate effect”.

    The report, released on Sunday, highlighted the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the province’s economy.

    Estimating layoffs caused due to the lockdown in place to stop the spread of the pandemic, the report noted that “daily wage workers, paid worker by piece rate or work performed, paid non-family apprentice and street vendors” were highly vulnerable to the economic impact of coronavirus.

    The report also predicted that the growth of KP’s economy would drop from 3.73 per cent in 2019 to 2.9pc this year, while the gross domestic product (GDP) would go down from Rs13,35,942 million to Rs13,16,160m.

    The report also predicted that overall, some 1.3 million jobs could be lost during a 45-day lockdown. The highest losses would be seen in the transportation and storage sectors with a predicted loss of some 359,393 jobs while construction, manufacturing and wholesale sectors would also be highly affected with job losses of some 295,594, 258,664 and 216,252 respectively.

    The number of jobs lost could increase even more if the lockdown was extended, the report warned, estimating that some 2.7m jobs would be lost if the lockdown was extended to a six-month period while some 4.2m jobs would be lost if the lockdown remained in place for a year.

    However, the report observed that there would be “minimal impact” on the province’s agricultural sector.

    REPORT LAYS DOWN MECHANISM TO MITIGATE IMPACT:

    The report titled Coping Strategy: Mitigating Adverse Impact of COVID-19 on the Economy and Job Market in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also laid out the provincial government’s mechanism to deal with the impact.

    According to the report, some 1.5 million families in the province will benefit from the federal government’s Ehsaas Cash Disbursement Programme through which they would get Rs12,000 every month.

    The report voiced apprehension that the COVID-19 pandemic would also “render vulnerable” those people who do not fall under the federal government’s cash distribution programme criteria.

    The government would therefore form a committee at the Village Council level that would identify vulnerable families who would receive Rs6,000 from the government.

    Certain sectors would also be exempted from tax payments, the report said. Construction, wholesale, retail and transport sectors would be eligible to benefit from these tax exemptions.

    The government would also adopt a moratorium on loan payments for three months to “allow business higher liquidity to the most affected small and medium enterprises” while “mark-up due for the quarter ending 31 March would have to be paid by 15 June instead of 15 April”.

    The government would also pay advance salaries to officers from grade 1 to 17 to “sustain demand” if needed.

    The government would also consider deferral of payment of utility bills for three months to help support small businesses and shopkeepers, the report further added.

  • Restaurants to remain open in Karachi for takeaway & home delivery services

    Restaurants to remain open in Karachi for takeaway & home delivery services

    Restaurants, hotels and ‘nanbais’ in Karachi have been granted permission to operate from 8 am to 5 pm.

    According to a notification issued by Commissioner Karachi, restaurants will be allowed to offer takeaway and home delivery services. However, dine-in is strictly prohibited.

    The government has also issued a number of SOPs which need to be followed. This includes following the proper procedure to ensure everything is disinfected. Every worker should be checked before entering the workplace.

    Commissioner Karachi has also made wearing face masks mandatory for those going outside their houses.

    “Face masks are mandatory for all people who come out of the houses for a valid reason or are exempted during the lockdown. The mask shall cover the nose, mouth and chin.”

    If symptoms of flu, cough or fever are found, he/she may be referred to the hospital immediately, the notification read.

    Meanwhile some areas of Karachi, where a large number of COVID-19 cases have been reported have been completely sealed by the Sindh government.

  • Lions nap on the road during coronavirus lockdown in South Africa

    Lions nap on the road during coronavirus lockdown in South Africa

    Pictures of a pride of lions taking a nap in the middle of a road in a national park in South Africa have gone viral on social media. South Africa has been under lockdown since March 25.

    Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa, shared photos and videos of animals roaming the park without the intrusion of tourists.

    Park ranger Richard Sowry was out on patrol when he took the pictures of a pride sleeping on a road. Mr Sowry performs an essential service and continues to work during the lockdown, checking on the wildlife and guarding against poachers.

    He took photos with his mobile phone.

    Speaking to a news outlet, he said, “Lions are used to people in vehicles. All animals have much more of an instinctive fear of people on foot, so if I had walked up they would never have allowed me to get so close.”

  • Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Islamabad cops feed monkeys during lockdown

    Human beings aren’t the only ones affected by the coronavirus lockdown in Pakistan. Animals are also suffering amid all this as many stray or wild animals haven’t been getting any food.

    As per reports, group of Islamabad policemen gave monkeys food during the lockdown to make sure they don’t go hungry either.

    Pakistan is currently under lockdown, with shops and markets closed to control the spread of the coronavirus. People are practicing social distancing while staying at home. That’s why stray animals could not find any food on the streets.

  • Heartwarming video shows Punjab cop buying food for stray dogs, feeding them

    Heartwarming video shows Punjab cop buying food for stray dogs, feeding them

    As the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus stays in place and animal rights activists voice concerns over strays starving to death, a heartwarming video over the internet has shown a Punjab Police cop buying food and feeding stray dogs by the side of a road.

    “If only people considered us policemen as humans. Forgive our mistakes. We are your servants. We deserve that much love,” wrote Lahore’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Investigation Dr Inam Waheed as he tweeted the video that showed the cop, namely Ishtiaq, buying food and feeding it to dogs.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/inamkhan24/status/1250479090399883264

    Here’s what Twitterati, including celebrities, have to say about it:

    “I salute such great people,” wrote another user.

    Earlier, amid appeals by activists to take care of strays during the lockdown, heartwarming stories had surfaced of people helping animals suffering and adjusting to the changes caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

    “During the lockdown, animals have been abandoned in cages in markets and pet stores in Karachi. Many have starved and died. Dr Sheila is a vet working tirelessly to help collect, vaccinate and find shelter for these poor animals. Please, please, please donate. And share,” tweeted a user.

    Another user shared the picture of a group of volunteers feeding monkeys.

    Have something to add to this story? Let The Current know in the comments below.

  • ‘We cannot afford this anymore’: Traders in Sindh, KP, Balochistan to reopen businesses from today

    Traders across the country have said that they would resume operations from today (April 15), however, the business community in Punjab has urged the government to permit activities for a limited time.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in his address to the nation on Tuesday, extended the lockdown till April 30, saying that some industries such as construction would be allowed to operate from Wednesday.

    The business community in Karachi said that they would resume operations from April 15 and that the traders would follow preventive measures. “We cannot afford the imposed restrictions anymore,” said a representative of Karachi’s trader community while addressing a press conference.

    “The businessmen have paid their employees a month’s salary but we will be unable to do so if the lockdown extends,” he said, adding that they would hand over the keys to their shops to the officials at the Chief Minister (CM) House and protest outside the provincial chief executive’s office if they are kept from resuming business activities.

    Voicing the traders in Sindh, Balochistan’s business community said that they would also resume operations from April 15. They said that the traders could no longer bear the lockdown restrictions, adding that activities would be conducted and precautionary measures would be followed. “The provincial government has been informed regarding the decision to resume operations.”

    Furthermore, the traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) said that they could not afford the lockdown further and that they would open shops from April 15 as well.

    United Business Group President Ilyas Bilour said that small scale traders were forced into starvation due to the lockdown, and lamented that labourers were severely affected due to the closure of business centres.