The Nurses Welfare Organisation of Pakistan has called upon the federal government to impose a curfew across the country to contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to Dawn News.
In a press conference on Friday, deal organisation’s Secretary General Faheem Abbas said if the government did not take the coronavirus epidemic seriously Pakistan could end up with hundred thousand of cases just like European countries.
“The government must impose curfew at least for 15 days strictly. We assure you that if this proposal is implemented, the coronavirus will be controlled in 15 days,” he said.
Is a curfew possible? A government that has been unclear with imposing lockdown in Pakistan will not most likely impose a curfew. Even though, lockdown has been extended till May 6th , PM Imran khan has made it clear that he doesn’t really favours a complete lockdown because it’s hurting the poor and wage workers who make up a significant population of Pakistan. Why are the Nurses asking for a strict curfew? Not only do they have protective gear, 50 nurses have also lost their lives to coronavirus. Medical staff is at the frontline and they can see that Pakistan’s health system is not capable enough to accommodate a flux of patients. In order to avoid the health system exhausting, strict measures need to be taken to ensure people are practising social distancing and are staying at home. Also read: Mass burials take place in Brazil as Covid-19 cases surge