Govt to take decision on lockdown tomorrow: Asad Umar

• Umar says business community should play a responsible role and take precautions to protect workers from health hazards.
• The government is also considering passing a law to make it compulsory for businesses to ensure to take measures to protect employees from diseases: Planning minister.

(Karachi) Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that the decision on lockdown will be taken tomorrow (April 14).

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, he said a meeting of the National Coordination Committee will be held again tomorrow to discuss the prevailing situation in the country. He added Prime Minister Imran Khan will preside over the meeting and take decisions accordingly.

He said that the business community should play a responsible role and take precautions to protect workers from health hazards. He said that the government is also considering passing a law to make it compulsory for businesses to ensure to take measures to protect employees from diseases.

Umar pointed out that Pakistan's situation is better than most developed countries as far as the confirmed COVID-19 cases are concerned.  "The government has taken measures to curb the outbreak but it cannot deal with the challenge alone."

The planning minister says it is important to follow the strategy of tracing, testing and quarantining in order to contain the virus. "The government is aiming to increase the country's testing capacity to 25,000 tests per day by the end of this month," he remarked.