Monitoring Desk:
Prime Minister, Imran Khan on Thursday warned that strict action would be taken against the people violating the standard operating procedure (SOPs) set by the government to contain the novel coronavirus. “I will be monitoring the situation from Prime Minister’ Secretariat”, the Premier said in his address to the nation.
Pakistan has been ranked among the top 10 countries reporting the deadly virus the other day by the World Health Organization (WHO). Pakistan confirmed 123, 155 cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday.
“Today I have a report from Punjab and Sindh regarding the implementation of SOPs. These reports detail the steps taken by mosques, courts, public offices, public parks, industries, shopping malls, local and private transport.
“I will get these reports daily and on the basis of these, the administration and the Corona Relief Tiger Force will take action. When we will be informed of violations, we will close them down. The purpose of a ‘smart lockdown’ is to shut down areas where the virus spreads.”
The premier issued a warning that whether it be a shop, a mall or a factory, if they are caught flouting rules they will be closed down.
“We didn’t enforce this strictly before because we were still gathering data. But now that it is in our hands, we will take action.”
He also announced that the government is in the process of preparing a special package for healthcare workers.
