Decision on lockdown to be made on Apr 14: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD, Apr 13 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative Asad Umar Monday informed that some major decisions on coronavirus including with respect to the ongoing lockdown in the country would be taken on Tuesday (tomorrow) in a special meeting of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).

In his daily media briefing after meeting of NCOC here, Asad Umar said the meeting would prepare recommendations for the National Coordination Committee (NCC) that would be held later in the day under the Chairmanship of the prime minister.

The NCC would make final decisions on some major issues with regard to coronavirus including lockdown. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr. Zafar Mirza was also present in the media briefing.

Asad Umar further informed that normally chief secretaries of all provinces participate in the NCOC meeting, however in tomorrow’s meeting, chief ministers of all provinces and Gilgit Baltistan, and Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would participate to ensure that all decisions were made unanimously.

“In order to support the decision on lockdown, the federal government will provide all required information to the provinces prior to the meeting”, the minister added.

With regard to the meeting held on Monday, the minister said the meeting reviewed situation of transportation, country’s economy and trade in the country.

Expressing satisfaction over the pace of spread of coronavirus, Asad Umar said the federal and provincial governments’ timely decision contributed a lot in slowing down the spread of coronavirus in the country.

“Overall the Pakistani nation has also expressed a sense of responsibility which resulted in containing spread of the pandemic,” he added.

On demands by the businessmen to open up their trade activities, the minister said if the government accepted their demand, the responsibility of maintaining good health of their employees would fall on them and no excuse would be accepted.

“This is their right to do business, but health of the employees that works under them will be responsibility of those businessmen,” he added.

He also hinted at making legislation to bound such businessmen and industrialists to follow all preventive measures issued by the government to contain coronavirus.

He specifically thanked the district administration of all districts across the country and the federal officials working in ministries working with NCOC who were working hard to fight the pandemic.

He said it was impossible to lock all the people at their home for continuous two weeks therefore a comprehensive strategy was needed so that the spread could be slowed down and the daily routine should also not be affected to a large extent.

He said increasing testing capacity was vital to contain the virus as by testing maximum people, it would become possible to reach maximum virus carriers and by quarantining such people, the virus could be contained.