Govt to ease lock-down restrictions gradually; Tiger Force volunteers to help implement SOPs: PM.

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said as the government, in order to lessen the financial difficulties faced by people due to lockdown, was set to gradually ease restrictions, the volunteer Corona Relief Tiger Force would help ensure implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in every field of life.

'The objective of easing restrictions is to assist the people affected badly by the lockdown and have lost their jobs. But if we did not follow SOPs the situation of coronavirus in the virus, which has come to a bit level, would turn very bad,' he said while addressing the Corona Relief Tiger Force volunteers here.

Special Assistant to the PM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and Utility Stores Corporation Chairman Zulqurnain Ali Khan also spoke on the occasion.

The prime minister said since the purpose of creating Corona Relief Tiger Force was to help the people in the difficult situation, they should play their role in creating public awareness about the dangers of COVID-19 and guide them about the SOPs, including social distancing in mosques, shops, factories etc.

He said the biggest challenge in this difficult situation was to create balance in a way that the people could be saved from COVID-19 and the wheels of economy could also be run again by easing lockdown restrictions.

The prime minister told the Tiger Force members that as they were volunteers, they would not be getting any salaries or benefits and would be doing a `Jihad' by working in aid of the district administration and supplementing their efforts.

He said the Corona Relief Tiger Force, besides creating awareness among the public about the COVID-19, would also help the people, unemployed due to the coronavirus lockdown, in getting registered at the Ehsaas Web Portal https://ehsaaslabour.nadra.gov.pk/ through special digital desks being set up at the union council levels.

The registered unemployed people, after filtration of their credentials from the Ehsaas database, would be provided with the cash assistance, he added.

The prime minister urged the Tiger Force volunteers to also keep an eye on those engaged in hoarding particularly of food items and if they found any such activity, provide information to the district administration for further action.

'You don't have to take any action against anyone on your own. You have to inform the administration,' he said and added that as hoarding was illegal and...