Prime Minister Imran Khan says Pakistan stands at a juncture where we can defeat the corona virus if people strictly follow the SOPs.
Addressing volunteers of Corona Relief Tiger Force in Islamabad today, he said one million youth have registered under the force so far. He said 175,000 volunteers provided assistance in various relief activities during lockdown.
Imran Khan said volunteers were needed to sensitize public about precautionary measures during gradual opening of lockdown. He said many people needed awareness and guidance to follow the SOPs including social distancing and care. He said the volunteers also guided people offering prayers in mosques due to which the number of new cases reduced at the places of worship.
The Prime Minister said as a result of precautionary measures, the death toll in Pakistan is so far less than many other countries of the world. Imran Khan said the services of volunteers will also be needed in areas where smart lockdowns will be implemented in the coming days. Secondly, they will also work along district administration in efforts to control the locust. He said services of volunteers will also be utilized in tree plantation under Clean and Green Pakistan program.
Imran Khan said medical community across the world is facing pressure and we can avoid it if we get the people to follow the SOPs.
He said lockdowns impact the livelihoods of people and poor countries are grappling with this situation. He gave the example of neighboring India, where strict lockdown resulted in millions of people going unemployed.
The Prime Minister said the effective steps taken by the government have been appreciated by the Asian Development Bank. He said under Ehsaas program emergency cash disbursements were made to the needy and eligible people.
Referring to economic situation of the country, the Prime Minister said the corona pandemic came at a time when the country was getting out of economic crisis due to prudent policies adopted by the government. He said we have paid more than 5,000 billion rupees in interest for the loans taken by previous governments. He said the government will reduce expenditures in order to cope with the situation.