AIRLINK 78.39 Increased By ▲ 5.39 (7.38%)
BOP 5.34 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.19%)
CNERGY 4.33 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.46%)
DFML 30.87 Increased By ▲ 2.32 (8.13%)
DGKC 78.51 Increased By ▲ 4.22 (5.68%)
FCCL 20.58 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (1.13%)
FFBL 32.30 Increased By ▲ 1.40 (4.53%)
FFL 10.22 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (1.59%)
GGL 10.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-0.96%)
HBL 118.50 Increased By ▲ 2.53 (2.18%)
HUBC 135.10 Increased By ▲ 2.90 (2.19%)
HUMNL 6.87 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (2.84%)
KEL 4.17 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (3.47%)
KOSM 4.73 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (2.83%)
MLCF 38.67 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.34%)
OGDC 134.85 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (0.75%)
PAEL 23.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.43 (-1.8%)
PIAA 26.64 Decreased By ▼ -0.49 (-1.81%)
PIBTL 7.02 Increased By ▲ 0.26 (3.85%)
PPL 113.45 Increased By ▲ 0.65 (0.58%)
PRL 27.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.43 (-1.53%)
PTC 14.60 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-1.95%)
SEARL 56.50 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.14%)
SNGP 66.30 Increased By ▲ 0.50 (0.76%)
SSGC 10.94 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.64%)
TELE 9.15 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (1.44%)
TPLP 11.67 Decreased By ▼ -0.23 (-1.93%)
TRG 71.43 Increased By ▲ 2.33 (3.37%)
UNITY 24.51 Increased By ▲ 0.80 (3.37%)
WTL 1.33 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 7,493 Increased By 58.6 (0.79%)
BR30 24,558 Increased By 338.4 (1.4%)
KSE100 72,052 Increased By 692.5 (0.97%)
KSE30 23,808 Increased By 241 (1.02%)

The Covid-19 situation is indeed profoundly alarming in the country. That is why the federal government has hinted at shutting down all the major cities by imposing strict but broader lockdowns. According to federal minister Asad Umar, the number of critical cases has now exceeded 4,500. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has noted that if the situation remains the same, they would have no choice but to shut down major cities.

The entire nation appears to have thrown caution to the wind insofar as observance of Covid-19-related SOPs is concerned. Unfortunately, our approach to this challenge is characterized by ambivalence, complacency and ignorance. We must not lose sight of what is happening in a neighbouring country, India, where hospitals have issued notices to say they have only a few hours of medical oxygen required to keep Covid-19 patients alive.

Saeed Mirza (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

Comments

Comments are closed.