PM emphasizes to strictly follow SOPs to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has once again emphasized the need to create awareness among masses to strictly follow standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, he said our health system can cope with the challenge of pandemic if people strictly follow the preventive measures and burden on hospitals will increase if SOPs are not adhered in letter and spirit.

The Prime Minister said that it is an obligation on us to protect our elderly and sick people, patients of heart and blood pressure and chronic diseases.

Imran Khan said that Tiger Force has been deployed to convince people to observe SOPs to prevent contagion.

The Prime Minister dispelled the impression that there was any confusion on part of the government in taking measures to cope with the challenge of coronavirus.

He said we enforced lockdown as soon as we detected just twenty cases in Pakistan but it has been my consistent fear that corona is a phenomenon that nobody can predict anything about it.

He said in view of high density population in Pakistan we cannot enforce complete lockdown for longer period of time as we have to protect our people both from coronavirus and hunger.

He said the government established National Command and Operation Centre to gather data, get expert opinion from doctors, input from provinces and evaluate world's trends in dealing with the pandemic.

He said now we have verified and updated data about corona patients and availability of necessaries medical equipment, including personal protective equipment, ventilators and beds in hospital.

Imran Khan said we introduced smart lockdown instead of complete lockdown to protective our people from the disease and hunger. He said thirty-four percent people have gone below the poverty line in India due to complete lockdown which vindicate our stance of not going for complete curfew.

Discussing the way forward, the Prime Minister said the government has decided to give priority to the construction and agriculture sectors. He said we have given historic package for the construction industry.

Thirty billion rupees have been allocated to provide affordable houses to the people on low interest rate. He said the government has not cut the Annual Development Program but reduced its non-development expenditure.

The Prime Minister said the focus is also being given to expansion of industrial sector to revive the industries. For...