Daily Times

The government’s claim that a good 27 per cent of reported coronavirus cases so far have been the result of local transmission seriously calls into question the role of the general public in facing this crisis. There’s only so much that authorities can do, really, to limit unnecessary movement on the part of such a large population. They can advise, warn, even forcefully restrict the few that their capabilities allow. But at the end of the day this quarantine is meant in the interest of the people and the country. And it is for them to largely make sure they minimise risk for everybody. So far, sadly, people have not generally responded in the right spirit, which will only mean more pain, suffering and waiting for everybody; including all the people that are already fed up with the lockdown.

The headlines also ran an item about one man in Gujrat, already positive, spreading the virus to at least 27 other people. Considering this, just what a much larger number of people roaming about can do does not even need to be explained anymore. Yet, here we are, where the government must not only devise ingenious and sometimes unconventional ways of keeping the economy running but also deal with the foolishness of a large bulk of the population. Hospitals are already running out of testing kits. The last thing they need is to be overwhelmed by cases that could easily have been avoided.

Admirable examples of volunteer groups watching out for the needs of the more vulnerable are also coming to the fore. No doubt they are closely coordinating with relevant authorities to ensure safety standards. Yet their work is also compromised when people disobey the lockdown unnecessarily and cause all sorts of problems for everybody, including themselves. Let there be no doubt, if this shutdown extends a little too far into the future, the economy will simply collapse. That is why everybody is urged to simply end all sorts of unnecessary travel outside their homes immediately. Already countries with far bigger economies and better health systems are paying the price for people not following government orders seriously. So far, much of the spread in Pakistan is the result of people’s own mistakes. The sooner people themselves can bring this particular trend under control, the sooner the situation can begin to change for the whole country. *