F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) with Prime Minister Imran Khan in chair will be held on Tuesday (today) to discuss proposals submitted by the provinces regarding lockdown.
A meeting of the NCC today reviewed progress in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in the country and discussed the strategy to minimize the impact of the challenge.
During the meeting, the chief ministers presented proposals regarding lockdown.
The federal and provincial governments agreed to announce a unified policy on the lockdown.
National Command and Control Operation Center also presented its suggestions in the meeting in light of the overall situation in the country.
Sindh CM calls for extending lockdown
On the other hand, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who took part in the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan through video link, called for extending the country’s lockdown by 14 more days, saying that the federal government should give a clear stance regarding future policies.
The Sindh CM briefed all participants about the graveness of the situation in Sindh and said that there should be a unified national policy to counter the current situation and all decisions should be coming from the PM himself.
He said that the PM should announce his decisions tomorrow, and the provinces will follow the given directives.
Murad Ali Shah also said that even if lockdown is not going to be extended, the decision should come from the PM so that there is clarity about the situation. Whichever sectors are to be reopened, their SOPs should be provided to all provincial governments, he added.
The chief minister further advised the federal government to acquire assurances from the people receiving monetary aid to self isolate for 14 days by themselves. Moreover, he also called for the stoppage of food exports even if supplies are in a surplus.
Murad Ali Shah while addressing a press conference had rejected the allegation regarding imposing lockdown across the province to contain coronavirus without properly analyzing the situation.
He said that we consulted with global experts to tackle the situation and decided to devise strategies. We took extreme steps after observing what other countries were doing to prevent the virus outbreak, he added.
The CM said that not taking measures at the moment would have been the biggest mistake. We were getting mix signals from the federal government regarding assistance in curbing the coronavirus, he revealed.
What was the purpose of lockdowns if people were gathered in huge crowds to receive money, he questioned.
CM Murad further informed, “We have recorded 41 new cases while 30 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours. 317 people are in hospitals and 37 patients in quarantine centres.”
NSC to take lockdown decision
On Sunday, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the decision to extend lockdown in the province will be taken in a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC).
Expressing concern, she said that the lockdown will not be eased in the province, adding that the highest number of coronavirus cases are on the GT road belt.
More than 36000 suspected patients have been tested in Punjab, she said and added nearly 300 confirmed coronavirus patients have returned to their homes in Punjab.
Dr Yasmin said that said that various areas of Lahore have been fully sealed due to the increase of coronavirus cases, in addition, diagnostic tests are being conducted in the vegetable markets.
The provincial minister appealed to the public to cooperate with the government in the fight against the pandemic by staying in their homes, adding that we must all fight against the coronavirus.
