ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Planning and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Chairman Asad Umar has ruled out the possibility of a complete lockdown in case Pakistan experiences a fourth wave of the Covid-19.
He expressed these views while speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly appointed members of the National Youth Council (NYC). He feared that the fourth wave will start this month.
Asad rejected the possibility of a complete lockdown if the fourth wave of the pandemic takes ahold of Pakistan.
Umar, however, said Pakistan will impose smart lockdowns across the country (as it had done before) to counter the virus, in case cases of the infection once again shoot up across the country. He added that the strategy had proven effective in stemming the spread of the virus in the past.
The minister said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), through a letter, informed the Kashmir Election Commission about violation of coronavirus SOPs during the ongoing election campaigns.
Umar praised the government’s tackling of the coronavirus, saying that it had received international praise as well. He cited Pakistan’s inclusion in the Economist’s Normalcy Index–that determines which countries are returning to their pre-pandemic levels–at number three.
The NCOC chief urged people to continue observing coronavirus SOPs and get themselves vaccinated so that Pakistan can cope with the fourth wave of the pandemic effectively.
