Obviously not. We never are prepared for anything staring into our cumulative faces. This one is a killer and Pakistan will be fighting a losing battle if the pandemic breaks out, keeping in mind, lack of any preparation. A WHO website has defined a pandemic as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.” It does not deal with the intensity of the disease but rather the global spread of the disease. At this point in time, there is no vaccine for this kind of infection. It requires research, time and resources coupled with concentrated effort to develop one.
Different countries have dealt with it in different ways. Pakistan government who has yet to treat this global calamity with any degree of seriousness must start paying attention to what other nations have so far done and start putting together an intelligent strategy of their own.
Testing is a method different countries have adopted. Different countries like UK, Italy and South Korea are testing different numbers of people per million people to check out the existence of this strain of virus. (One example is South Korea that conducted 4,000 tests per million people between January to March)
Airport Screening is being done as well. Not just at airports but other transport spots like railway stations and public transport like bus hubs. UK has stepped out screening of passengers arriving from coronavirus sensitive countries including China, Malaysia, Japan and Iran. Checking temperatures of disembarking passengers is not good enough cover to effectively discern presence of the disease.
Closing schools and colleges UNESCO has declared 14 countries have closed down schools and colleges nationwide and roughly 13 have closed not all, but certain schools. One example is Italy that has closed all schools till 3rd April 2020. It may extend the closure further.
Calling off Public Events like cricket matches, musical events, and similar like events which inevitably will lead to huge numbers of bodies in one place have been implemented in many places. For example ‘The Indian Wells tennis tournament in California was cancelled after a public health emergency was declared for the Coachella Valley’ (BBC News 11th March 2020)
President Donald Trump has announced a suspension of “all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.” (CNN March 12, 2020) His address at live television dispelled any ambiguity on the seriousness of the crisis at hand.
Unfortunately, the Federation of Pakistan has not so far taken this emergency seriously. There are certain procedures the government must take to a) ensure protection from spreading and b) from handling the spreading of the epidemic. One sees none of the two. Furthermore, a co-ordination that must exist between the Federation and the Provinces with regards to coronavirus is lacking. The latter was a point well noted by Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Spokesperson for the Sindh government.
In case of a breakout of the disease, government must consider closing down schools, colleges and offices on a long-term basis. In order to be able to do this, preparations for this eventuality to be able to work from homes must be made now!
Raza Rumi in his tweet stated:
6 steps #Pakistan should take immediately: -Travel restrictions -Cancel/ban public congregations -Protect children: phased closure of schools & colleges -Boost Detection/testing -Fed. Government/provinces allocate dedicated resources for #cornoravirus threat -Public awareness campaigns
(12th March 2020)
In a country where majority of the population is concerned about putting the next meal on the table, dealing with the corona virus may be a fry cry. Until it hits them! Creating a strong public awareness campaign is mandatory. This deals with responsibilities citizens must take to avoid the pandemic- the other level is to take steps to deal with the cases as they happen. All points covering hygiene must be communicated to the people. Also it must be made mandatory for all moving out of their homes to wear protective masks. It must also be ensured that masks are available and profiteers do not fleece buyers. (Recently in Lahore a box for Rs 70 was selling for Rs 500) For low income groups, arrangements to provide the masks for free must be made.
Government must close its borders, not for goods but for people. At least for 15 days to begin with. Public events of every shade must be banned that involves congregation of people in one area as an emergency during which time government must come up with a cogent and aggressive strategy.
Hospitals must be equipped to deal with corona virus. Camps should be set up in the grounds of the hospital to check for the virus and quarantine patients. Camps equipped with everything needed including toilets. Similar camps must be put up in smaller areas, rural where all checking and treatment facilities must be made available. Wedding halls can be used for quarantine wards as well.
In case of a breakout of the disease, government must consider closing down schools, colleges and offices on a long-term basis. In order to be able to do this, preparations for this eventuality to be able to work from homes must be made now!
In case of a breakout all shopping malls, eateries, and so on must be closed down. Pharmacies and groceries are necessary. Other closer to essential items may be encouraged to deliver items at doorstep.
Let the readers be reminded here of the Spanish Flu that killed 50 million people worldwide in 1918. This flu was transmitted from a bird to the human beings. In 1931 Swine Flu made its presence in Eastern Iowa. This was isolated from a pig. The H2N2 virus in 1957 led to Asian flu pandemic which although mild killed 1.5 million people. In 1968 the world saw the Hong Kong flu pandemic taking the lives of roughly 1 million people throughout the world.
May one suggest to the Pakistan Government to kindly get out of the small pond it lives in that revolves around whether or not Maryam Nawaz should be allowed to leave the country and what fun it will be to slap a charge on Zardari, never mind trying to prove anything later and focus on this emergency?
The writer is a lawyer, academic and political analyst. She has authored a book titled ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media & Media Laws in Pakistan.’ She can be contacted at: [email protected] and tweets at @yasmeen_9