Daily Times

Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmed Shah on Sunday said that a complete lockdown could have serious implications for the country, which was why the federal government was not deciding about it.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) lauded the prompt response of the Pakistani government to curb coronavirus outbreak, he said talking to a private news channel.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan in his address had asked the masses to go into self-isolation because taking precautionary measures was better than curing the virus.

The minister said after the 18th amendment the provinces were authorised to take any decision and they had appealed the federal government for deployment of army in the provinces to contain the critical situation.

Calling the army should not be considered as a lockdown, as armed forces had always provided assistance to the government to cope with any calamity, he added.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan in his address had comprehensively briefed the nation regarding practical steps being taken by the government to fight and curb coronavirus outbreak.

Talking to PTV, she urged the masses to adopt precautionary measures to contain the spread of the pandemic just like China did. She said the prime minister had asked the nation to adopt preventive measures, urging them to cooperate with the government and go into self-lockdown to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. She asked media to play a responsible role in creating awareness among people regarding the disease. She said no decision had been made to lockdown the country and it would be decided later.

Firdous said people should avoid hand shacks and maintain social distancing to protect themselves. Every individual, especially religious clerks and scholars, should play their role to educate the masses for taking precautionary measures to cope with the deadly disease, she added. She said the government was facilitating the masses and making all out efforts to fight against coronavirus.