THE Eidul Azha sacrifice has a multi-billion economy of its own as along with being the instrumental religious and cultural event in Pakistan, it is a source of livelihood for the major stakeholders, including butchers, livestock traders and the tanning industry.

However, in these testing times, it is necessary to look at real facts on ground and mould our old economic and religious practices in accordance with the novel coronavirus.

Primarily, it is important that the authorities curtail the gatherings in livestock markets where people and the animals converge every year. Healthcare workers and doctors have seriously warned us of the gravity of the aftermath if the situation goes out of hand. The positive cases might spike, and on top of that, the second wave would create a mass havoc and irrevocable damage to the health system with repercussions beyond comprehension.

Although the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has allowed the presence of small livestock markets on the outskirts of cities with strict SOPs in practice, such a balance between economic and religious priorities with precautions to fight the virus remains a workable solution on paper only.

It is undeniable that SOPs are widely flouted in the livestock markets. Nonetheless, as people have great cultural and religious affiliations with this occasion, it is imperative that authorities should enforce strict SOPs so that those rushing to the livestock markets do not end up being the spreaders of the virus as they return to their neighborhoods.

Moreover, children should be kept away from these cattle markets and instead of whole brigades going to select an animal, one person is enough.

While there is much prudence and wisdom in collective sacrifice to minimise the hovering threat of a second wave, slaughter in neighborhoods should be curtailed to prevent the situation going out of hand and ensure hygiene. After all, we all wish a sooner return to our halted activities and life to resume in its normal course.

Hadia Mukhtar
Karachi

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WE all have seen the devastating consequences when permission was given to reopen mosques and offer taraweeh. The lockdown was almost lifted on the occasion of Eidul Fitr and our countrymen flocked to markets as if going without new clothes on Eid would render them inferior.

The deadly virus was waiting for such an opportunity to spread viciously, and now the situation seems out of control.

This government is incapable of taking bold decisions. Now Eidul Azha is just round the corner. Another 20 days after that comes Muharram. Should we not have a clear-cut policy regarding these two religious occasions from the government by now?

We are already losing the battle against coronavirus. We do not n eed a daily sermon by the prime minister on television. What is required is a concentrated approach to tackle this deadly virus. Any inaction or delay will be deadly for the nation.

Jaffar Naqvi
Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2020