Smart lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: The head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar appealed on Thursday that the nationals must strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) against coronavirus formulated by the government, ARY News reported.

The Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside information minister Senator Shibli Faraz, said that the authorities were implementing smart lockdown measures across the country.

The statistics collected with the help of modern technology were forwarded to all provinces and relevant steps will be taken within two days.

“The federal government is working with provinces for enhancing healthcare facilities on a priority basis. It is important to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supplies to the hospitals besides increasing the number of beds [for the COVID-19 patients].”

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“We are taking necessary steps for the protection of hospital staff members and also working on packages for providing assistance to the medics working on the front line to fight COVID-19.”

Commenting over the specific medicines being referred for the infected patients, Umar said that the concerned authorities were formulating a strategy for the registration of drugs under Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). The time period required to register drugs with DRAP was being reduced, he added.

“The federal government is working on different plans to acquire stocks of expensive medicines for hospitals. The Centre, provincial governments and political parties are on same page to fight coronavirus pandemic.”

He said that the observation of smart lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots will decrease the number of infections as the next few weeks are very important.