Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned of a "spike in cases" of the deadly coronavirus if the predetermined standard operating procedures (SOPs) were ignored on the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha and the holy month of Muharram.
PM Imran's cautionary comments came almost three weeks after he advised people not to repeat "what they did on Eid-ul-Fitr" and exercise extra caution on Eid-ul-Azha so that a resurgence of the coronavirus could be avoided.
In a televised address to the nation, he said Pakistan’s situation was quite different from China, the US, and other European countries. Due to the 'smart lockdown' strategy, "we were able to contain the spread of coronavirus and now the whole world is now recognising its benefits," he noted.
The premier said Pakistan's strategy to tackle the virus had to be different as a big majority of daily wagers in the country were unregistered. "70-80% of labourers in our country are not registered; therefore, I approach had to be different than European counties.
"We could not take any drastic step like imposing curfew. We were afraid that more people will die from starvation and poverty than coronavius itself.
"India is now suffering the results of their decisions and the people are suffering in the neighborhood," he said.
