THERE can be no argument about the fact that Pakistan is in the middle of the third Covid wave. The educational institutions were shut down many times last year owing to the pandemic. The institutions had only just begun to resume curricular activities when the third wave hit the country, forcing another closure in parts of the country.

The positivity rate is alarmingly high in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad. Even the prime minister has not been spared by the virus and he, too, has tested positive. Having said that, majority of the people still go about their business as if nothing has happened and everything is normal.

They do not bother to wear masks let alone urging others to wear one. Such blatant disrespect for the SOPs is coming to haunt in the shape of increased positivity rate and deaths.

Does the virus only exist in educational institutions? Do only the educational institutions serve as the breeding grounds for the virus? This is obviously not the case. Why cannot the federal ministry take the matter seriously and enforce the SOPs elsewhere with the same zeal?

Hunzla Kakar
Zhob

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2021