Pakistan will have to learn to live with virus: PM Imran Khan on Coronavirus pandemic

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that people will have to mentally prepare themselves to “live with the virus” until there was a vaccine to treat COVID-19.

He made the remarks during a televised briefing on Friday, reports Dawn news.

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“From here on out till the end of the year, make up your mind that you will have to live with corona… We will have to live with it until we have a vaccine,” Khan further said.

“Lockdowns are meant to curb the spread of the virus but can they stop it?” he asked, adding that data from Wuhan, South Korea and Germany showed that cases spiked again after restrictions were lifted.

The country, despite its close proximity with China, remained coronavirus-free until February 26 when a young man from Karachi tested positive after returning from Iran — one of the worst-hit countries. After a brief hiatus following the first case, COVID-19 cases spiked as more pilgrims returning from Iran tested positive for the virus.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan’s Opposition parties accused Imran Khan’s government of mishandling the coronavirus crisis.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi defended the government’s handling of the pandemic, saying the situation of COVID-19 in Pakistan was different as compared to Europe and the United States.

The premier added that Pakistan’s coronavirus situation has not proceeded according to initial projections.

Last week, Imran Khan has announced that the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown will be lifted in phases starting from Saturday, despite a surge in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Also, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) extended a ban on the domestic flights until May 13 as part of the government’s instructions to minimize travelling of people. The earlier ban ended on May 10.

The nationwide tally of the coronavirus cases on Friday soared to 38,799, as per Johns Hopkins figures.

A total of 10,880 patients have so far recovered from the virus.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country also reached 803 with 33 new fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.

Punjab province reported 13,914 cases, Sindh 14,099, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 5,423, Balochistan 2,310, Islamabad 866, Gilgit-Baltistan 501 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 105.

So far, 344,450 tests have been conducted, including 13,700 during the last 24 hours.