KARACHI: In his first address to the nation weeks after Pakistan confirmed its first coronavirus case, Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the public to prepare for the pandemic in the country while ruling out lockdown in cities to contain the spread of the disease.

“I want to tell all of you, this virus will spread,” the premier said in a televised address to the nation, his first on COVID-19. He said he was seeing a “state of panic” taking hold of the country due to the virus.

Seeking to reassure the public, Prime Minister Khan noted that while COVID-19 spread rapidly, 97 per cent of its patients made a full recovery. Of these, 90pc people experienced a mild illness similar to flu, he added.

“Ghabrana nahi hai (you should not panic),” the premier said in his address to the nation, adding that the public should take precautions to prevent the virus from spreading.

The premier said the government had been in contact with the Chinese and Iranian governments since outbreaks occurred in the two countries. He lauded the Balochistan government and the Pakistan Army for their efforts to quarantine Pakistani pilgrims who returned from Iran “in very difficult conditions” and then dispatching them to various provinces.

0.9m people screened

The premier said the government had decided to take action to deal with the disease on January 15, after it was feared that infections would enter Pakistan from China. Screenings were started at airports and so far, 0.9 million people had been screened for the virus, he noted.

Prime Minister Imran said a meeting of the National Security Committee was called after 20 cases had emerged in Pakistan, and it studied responses of various countries to fight the virus.

He said it was suggested that Pakistan should follow some other countries in locking down its cities, but he said the country’s [economic] situation was not the same as that of the United States or Europe.

He said the national economy was recovering from a very difficult time and so it was decided not to lock down cities as that could result in people dying from hunger.

Rules out lockdown in the country

Instead, the premier said, the government banned public gatherings, closed education institutions and formed a national coordination committee.

He added that the government had activated and provided funds to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and tasked it with importing necessary medical equipment from abroad, including ventilators.

Economic risks

The prime minister said that an economic committee would determine how the government can cope with the coronavirus situation.

He predicted that the biggest impact would be seen in exports and businesses. In this regard, he said the government will also talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to give relief to industries and exporters.

The committee would also ensure that food inflation did not take place in the country due to the virus. “I fear that an attempt will be made to cause inflation as was done by hoarding sugar and wheat stocks,” he said.

Warning hoarders against “trying to take advantage of public’s helplessness”, the premier said there would be a severe reaction from the government against them.

Meanwhile, a core committee of medical experts was monitoring the world’s response to the pandemic and giving its advice to the government, said the prime minister. President Arif Alvi was visiting China to learn from Beijing what measures Pakistan could take if the disease spread here, he added.

The prime minister urged the people to join hands with the government in its ‘war’ against the novel infection and act responsibly. He urged people to avoid large gatherings and refrain from shaking hands with each other.

He also urged religious scholars to guide the people in coping with the challenge.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2020