Except for kids maybe, there’s hardly anyone who is unaware of the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, it has everybody talking around the world. Even though governments of some countries who were not affected started taking precautionary measures as it began spreading, it took over almost entire world so fast that anyone barely got the chance or time to think for long-term preventive measures or solutions. Best healthcare systems like that of Italy were seen collapseing fighting this novel virus.
The countries that have been most hard affected by the virus are underdeveloped or developing countries. As days pass by, it’s getting harder each day for the captains to save their ships from sinking because they being are hit from all sides. Should they save lives or economy? Should they fight virus or the poverty? Should they take care of their healthcare systems or vulnerable governments? Should they ask for protective equipments from developed countries or relief in paying debts? Answering these questions and taking decisive actions timely is undoubtedly a great challenge for the ruling class of all underdeveloped countries including Pakistan. With the current lockdown in many parts of the Pakistan, financial situations of countrymen have been severely affected, whether that’s daily wage workers or small business.
People are looking up to their government with their fingers crossed and constantly waiting for some good news to provide them a ray of hope. Even though the number of cases being reported each day is increasing, Pakistan is doing much better at flattening the curve than many developed countries. With Sindh’s lockdown showing the reduction in number of new cases reported, Islamabad in the past 48 hours has reported Zero new cases of COVID-19. The good news came as a breath of fresh air to many as Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat announced that no new cases have been reported out of 300 tests conducted in the last two days.
The lockdown though is not long term solution but is need of the hour as it buys you time to ponder over strategies. People are hoping that the hike in cases being reported reduces quickly so that they go back to their normal lives as soon as possible. Speculations over lives after lockdown already have people anxious because everyone knows that the effects are going to be long term.
