Economist ranking: PM Imran Khan lauds NCOC, SBP and Ehsaas team for effective response to COVID-19

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday commended the performance of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Ehsaas team for their effective and coordinated response during the COVID-19 pandemic, which gained recognition by the UK-based ‘The Economist’ in its report.

The prime minister, took to Twitter, to appreciate the government departments and thank the Almighty for His blessings.

“Congratulations to NCOC members, Ehsaas team & State Bank of Pakistan for effective response to Covid 19 pandemic; and above all thanks to the mercy of Almighty Allah,” he tweeted.

Congratulations to NCOC members, Ehsaas team & State Bank of Pakistan for effective response to Covid 19 pandemic; and above all thanks to the mercy of Almighty Allah. pic.twitter.com/C8vQP4D9ku

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 7, 2021

The UK magazine, in its Global Normalcy Index, had ranked Pakistan at number 3 out of 50 countries that performed well in controlling the COVID-19 spread.

Pakistan’s neighbours, India and China, were ranked 48 and 19 with scores of 46.5 and 72.9 respectively. The US is on number 20.

The Economist’s “normalcy index” aims to determine which countries are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, by grading each country using eight indicators: Time not at home, retail, office use, public transport, road traffic, flights, cinema and sports attendance.

The pre-pandemic level of activity was set at a score of 100, where Pakistan ranked third, with 84.4 out of 100.

“Hong Kong and New Zealand – two places that have implemented effective measures against the coronavirus and suffered relatively few deaths – are currently at the top of our tables,” the report had added.

In the category of “retail”, “office use”, “time not spent at home” and “public transport”, Pakistan ranked over 100. However, in the category of “flights” and “cinema” it scored low.

The NCOC has eased restrictions after the new cases come down and allowed businesses to operate at full capacity provided their employees are vaccinated.