PM for robust awareness drive for implementation of COVID SOPs

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday expressing his concern over negligence regarding the implementation of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), called for initiating a full-fledged public awareness campaign to ensure the implementation of Corona SOPs.

Presiding over the meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on COVID-19 here via video-link, he said the most effective strategy to deal with the third wave of coronavirus was to check the factors behind the fast spread of the contagion and using face masks.

The Prime Minister on this occasion also appealed the masses to ensure the implementation of Corona SOPs.
The meeting was briefed in detail about the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, percentage of positive cases, the availability of the Coronavirus vaccine and its supply to the masses as well as the measures being taken to ensure the ample availability of the vaccine to people in near future.

The Prime Minister, who was also briefed about the situation in the region after the outbreak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the worldwide experience showed that the use of face masks had been most effective in checking the spread of COVID-19.

He said that the strategy to deal with the third wave of Coronavirus and to check its spread will have to be formulated while keeping in view the country’s economic situation especially the difficulties of masses.

The Prime Minister said that as it were the poor who were affected most by the pandemic the center of government’s whole strategy was to provide relief to poor masses and to protect them from the negative effects of COVID-19.

He said that the government has to adopt a balanced policy so as to check the pandemic at one hand and protect the people and economy from its effects on the other.

The Prime Minister said that the previous wave of COVID-19 had rendered just 20 million people in Pakistan jobless. The poor segments were provided effective relief through the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program, he added.

Provincial Chief Ministers and officials apprised the Prime Minister of the COVID-19 situation in their respective provinces.

The Prime Minister directed all the provincial governments not only to mobilize the public about the implementation of COVID SOPs but also to ensure the effective role of the District Administration in that respect.