Our worst fears have come true as the situation continues to worsen from the coronavirus pandemic amid the third wave. The government has imposed a smart lockdown in various parts of the country as the number of cases have spiked for the past few weeks.
The situation is worst in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the UK-variant of COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly. A lockdown has been imposed in Islamabad and major cities, wearing face masks has become mandatory; and commercials activities such as markets, shopping malls and marriage halls have been ordered to be closed early. All our gains in the past few months have been erased within weeks.
We have already dealt with at least two prior waves of widespread infections and will now have to endure another potentially more deadly one. The total number of cases has already crossed 600,000 but the actual figure is certainly much higher. In the past ten days, the number of country-wide cases has risen by 22,018, showing a shocking 68 percent increase from the preceding ten days.
Last week, the government started the second phase of the coronavirus vaccination campaign and urged senior citizens over the age of 60 to register themselves. However, only ten percent of the elderly have registered either due to vaccine reluctance or lack of information. Pakistan has one of the lowest vaccination rates among countries that have started the campaign, with just 0.09 vaccinations per 100 citizens.
It is unfortunate that despite the worsening situation, there have been large gatherings across the country with no safety precautions. There was a three-day cultural festival in Karachi where all SOPs were flouted and organisers were unable to enforce safety precautions. A concert was organised in Karachi before authorities refused permission while a festival was held in Islamabad. Indoor dining has been prohibited but even outdoor restaurants see large gatherings with families joining in complete violation of safety precautions. Yet, we have not taken the pandemic seriously.
Due to the current situation, the government has hinted at a complete lockdown in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while smart lockdown will be imposed in the rest of the country. This will inflict colossal losses on businesses and the economy while closure of schools will affect academics. We cannot blame anyone but ourselves for the situation and must take this pandemic seriously before the situation changes for the worst.
