THE vulnerability of our weak health system coupled with the public’s insensitive attitude displayed after the easing of the lockdown pose a serious threat to the safety of our people.

All standard operating procedures are being blatantly violated by the people. As we generally follow ‘herd mentality’, we least bother about the consequences of our behaviour.

In short, everybody is out of his or her home for Eid shopping.

It appears as if skies will fall if we do not go for Eid shopping. No precautionary measures are being taken by shopkeepers, increasing the gravity of the situation and making things worse.

It appears another complete lockdown is in the offing as the local transmission of the pandemic is shooting up.

Unfortunately, the government and opposition are busy in blame game and exchanging barbs to score political points. No decency has been shown by the PTI, PPP and PML-N.

All are coins of the same value. They do not have compassion for their fellow countrymen.

Moreover, government employees have been forced to contribute to the Covid-19 fund, while no such contribution has been made by parliamentarians.

It is suggested that they should too contribute their one month’s salary to the fund to show solidarity with their voters and countrymen. If they fail to do so, they will stand exposed.

Iftikhar Mirza
Islamabad

(2)

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that coronavirus will not be controlled before two years. We have to learn to live with it by following one simple rule — social distancing.

We Pakistanis have been taking this deadly virus too lightly. Huge crowds can be seen in markets for Eid shopping. People have been thronging markets for shopping even if it costs them their lives.

The government has done everything to educate the people, but all in vain. Recently religious processions in which thousands of people, including children, took part, were taken out without any precaution.

Who is there to blame? Why aren’t religious scholars not stopping this? Why is the government scared of talking to religious political parties to apprise them about the gravity of the situation?

Now soon there will be a debate over whether we should allow Eid prayers or not. Then what will the law enforcement agencies do?

This has to stop somewhere. We cannot risk thousands of lives.

Maria Nissar
Karachi

(3)

IT is globally accepted that social distancing is the only option to save lives from coronavirus. In Pakistan, lockdown was eased a few days ago. But this has resulted in violation of standard operating procedures. We can see hordes of people in markets for Eid shopping, that too without masks and without maintaining the mandatory distance.

Several markets have been sealed in Karachi and Hyderabad by the Sindh government for not following the SOPs. On Yaum-i-Ali, the people came out of their homes to take part in processions, brushing aside all SOPs, thus increasing the risk of spreading Covid-19.

If we take coronavirus lightly, we should be ready to face a disaster, as the total number of positive cases is about 40,000, while over 900 people have died across Pakistan.

Waqar Badar Kandhro
Larkana

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2020