ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday warned of a looming “second wave” of the Covid-19 pandemic in country and advised the countrymen to wear face masks in public to avert the virus spread in winter.
While Imran Khan appealed to citizens to take precautionary measures, the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir decided to impose lockdown again to prevent the second wave of the pandemic.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister Imran Khan said there is a fear that onset of winter could result in second wave of coronavirus. He said as compared to some other states, Allah has been kind to us in Pakistan and spared us from the worst effects of COVID-19.
Imran Khan urged everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike and said all offices and educational institutions must ensure that masks are worn.
On the other hand, Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to impose lockdown again to prevent the second wave of coronavirus in the region. The decision was taken at a meeting with Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider in the chair in Muzaffarabad on Sunday. He directed the concerned departments to devise a plan within two days.
It was also decided to make wearing face masks compulsory in offices and markets and fine will be charged in case of non-compliance. The AJK Prime Minister also directed to ensure SOPs at entry points, in transport and educational institutions.
With six more deaths, country reports 632 new infections in 24 hours
Pakistan reported another 632 cases on Sunday, taking the country’s total tally for coronavirus cases so far to 314,616. Six more deaths were also recorded in the country. Pakistan has recorded a total of 6,513 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, in February.
Around 375 patients also recovered from the virus, taking the tally for recovered patients to 298,968.
On October 3, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a national body leading the country’s coronavirus response, also asked all provinces and federating units to launch a crackdown on restaurants and wedding halls violating standard operative procedures (SOPs) framed to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the wake of a fresh surge in infections, particularly in the commercial hub of Karachi.
The Pakistan Medical Association also issued a fresh warning over the escalating Covid-19 cases in the country, saying that country might be headed for a second wave of the disease. In a statement, the doctors’ representative body warned that countries currently experiencing a second wave were facing a more severe form of the disease. It expressed concerns over the possibility of a similar situation in Pakistan.
The PMA noted that people had stopped following Covid-19 SOPs in Sindh and cautioned that the situation could grow worse if immediate steps were not taken to address the problem. “It is important that special care is taken in primary and pre-primary schools,” added the statement.