THE federal government has extended the lockdown till May 9 by calling it a ‘smart lockdown’. However, in fact, there is no lockdown.

People can be seen moving freely in streets. Roads are full of vehicular traffic, bazaars are overcrowded, while mosques have a large number of people praying.

Doctors are the frontline fighters against Covid-19. They are facing a hard time saving the nation from this menace. More and more doctors have been getting infected with coronavirus while treating positive cases. They have been making appeals to the government and public to remain at home and practice social distancing.

They are against prayer congregations in mosques. Their appeals must be listened to because we have a poor healthcare system.

I urge Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay heed to doctors’ requests. His policies of saving the economy and keeping businesses open, and appeasing clerics may lead our country to a disaster.

It is time all political leadership and religious scholars thought about the nation. All are patriots and it is the best time to prove it. We need to take right and timely steps. We must learn lessons from the Western world.

Najaf Ali
Gujrat

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AS millions of people have been infected with coronavirus all over the globe, lockdown and curfews have played a vital role in controlling its spread. But in Pakistan people do not seem to be bothered, which is resulting in an increase in Covid-19 positive cases.

Now in Ramazan, there is hardly any psychological impact of coronavirus. People do not to seem to be taking the virus seriously compared to the initial days of its outbreak.

The government’s ‘smart lockdown’ has created a lot of issues in the cities. The people can been seen moving outside their homes without fear of getting infected with the virus and without taking preventive measures such as wearing masks and social distancing. The markets are full of people as if nothing has happened. Street vendors too are present everywhere in populated cities and towns.

In such conditions, as an Islamic nation, it is our obligation to follow the state’s instructions related to coronavirus. We must consider the rising number of Covid-19 cases in our cities and towns. People need to think about this seriously or the virus will never stop spreading.

Danish Malik
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2020