The Pakistani government has no real plan to combat the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 and the accompanying social distancing measures lack clarity, leader of Pakistan's Muslim League-Nawaz Party and former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in parliament on Wednesday in the wake of the government's partial easing of the lockdown
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2020) The Pakistani government has no real plan to combat the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 and the accompanying social distancing measures lack clarity, leader of Pakistan's Muslim League-Nawaz Party and former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in parliament on Wednesday in the wake of the government's partial easing of the lockdown.
"There is no plan and no lockdown in Pakistan. We have become a laughing stock in the world, everyone is laughing at the [Parliament] House because of this," Abbasi said, as quoted by Pakistan's Geo tv broadcaster.
The opposition lawmaker criticized the government for a lack of clarity in its messages to the population, particularly regarding the implementation of a so-called smart lockdown, which will see the government use technology to identify COVID-19 hotspots and locally enforce the appropriate social distancing measures.
"In every address, the prime minister said there would be no lockdown, then he says there will be an ease in the lockdown. It seems like the prime minister and the ministers say one thing, but there is something completely different happening in the country," he said.
On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that lockdown measures would be eased, citing the control other countries have exerted over the disease, and the economic difficulties Pakistan is facing amid the epidemiological crisis.
Public health authorities in Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed a record 2,255 new cases of the coronavirus disease over the preceding 24 hours. The previous record daily rise in positive tests was reported on Sunday when 1,991 new cases were registered.
Since the start of the outbreak, 34,336 positive tests for the coronavirus disease have been recorded in Pakistan. The death toll currently stands at 737.
