BR100 Increased By (0.11%)
BR30 Decreased By (-0.26%)
KSE100 Increased By (0.12%)
KSE30 Increased By (0.09%)
AGHA 7.79 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.52%)
BECO 5.23 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.77%)
BML 57.26 Decreased By ▼ -1.40 (-2.39%)
BOP 34.10 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (1.22%)
CNERGY 9.92 Decreased By ▼ -0.69 (-6.5%)
CSIL 5.35 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.94%)
FCCL 54.61 Increased By ▲ 0.87 (1.62%)
FFL 16.70 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (1.46%)
FNEL 1.24 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (1.64%)
KEL 7.42 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (1.92%)
KOSM 5.75 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.95%)
LOTCHEM 29.35 Decreased By ▼ -0.30 (-1.01%)
MLCF 94.35 Decreased By ▼ -2.01 (-2.09%)
NBP 202.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.83 (-0.41%)
NCPL 57.00 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.26%)
NPL 67.78 Increased By ▲ 0.47 (0.7%)
OGDC 316.40 Decreased By ▼ -1.82 (-0.57%)
PACE 10.64 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.09%)
PAEL 43.15 Increased By ▲ 1.38 (3.3%)
PIBTL 16.72 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.54%)
PPL 220.50 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (0.15%)
PRL 49.05 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
PTC 70.98 Increased By ▲ 0.97 (1.39%)
SSGC 28.17 Decreased By ▼ -0.97 (-3.33%)
TBL 9.90 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (1.33%)
TELE 8.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.23%)
TPL 18.14 Increased By ▲ 0.97 (5.65%)
TPLP 13.40 Increased By ▲ 0.89 (7.11%)
TREET 22.75 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (0.71%)
TRG 60.30 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.13%)

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

Saeed Mirza

The writer has worked for MNCs in Pakistan and abroad

Comments

Comments are closed for this article.