WITH the outbreak of Covid-19 and the prevalent lockdown in the country, heavy traffic has diminished. This has made professionals beggars turn to the residential areas instead of roads.

Living in a populated residential area of Lahore, I see about 10 to 15 beggars coming daily asking for alms in my area. These beggars, who come in a group, are not only a threat to themselves owing to the current pandemic, but also to others.

While asking for alms, they exercise none of the precautionary measures required to tackle the life-threatening virus. The government needs to look into this matter and should restrict their movement while providing the needy basic necessities at their doorsteps.

Otherwise the situation will worsen, as local transmission of the coronavirus in Pakistan is on the rise.

Anum Awan

Lahore

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2020