KARACHI: It’s always nice to be vigilant rather than behaving in a manner that you feel guilty for afterwards. These are trying moments for not only the Pakistanis, but the world as a whole. Therefore, following the requisite health protocols, or as they are referred to as the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in our region, Coronavirus does not spare anybody.
This also suggests that the measures taken by the government to guarantee the survival of people from the deadly disease should also be complied with. But, as in any novel, there’s generally a ‘but,’ isn’t there?
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Despite the seriousness of the problem, the prevalence of coronavirus in our nook is not as troubling as in other parts of the world, it must be said. The kind of traffic that one sees on a regular basis on the roads of Karachi and the fervour in which men, women and children frequent restaurants, the only activity that holds their minds away from the rigid routine imposed by the pandemic and, in some cases, keeps their wellbeing intact, shows that people have, to a large extent, devised a way to keep away from the problem and stay entertained.
Any visit in the daytime and after dusk to the city’s cafes and eateries is a blessing as to how desperate people have been in their lives to find even a soupcon of entertainment. Since getting their temperatures tested and hands sanitised, it is a joy to see young people having breakfast at high-end restaurants and elderly couples dining out (with masks off, of course) in their cars. To ward off psychological ailments, it is vital to have some sense of normality in our lives. And the inevitable ‘but’ again.
The condition imposed by Sindh govt to close shopping malls, markets at 10pm is confusing
A little mind-boggling is the requirement levied by the Sindh government to close markets at 10pm. It has a clear reason: if it is practicable for a company to stay open from morning until 10 pm, then it means that the authorities are confident that during this time the virus can be suppressed. Does that mean that the virus spreads quicker and in a more deadly way after 10pm? What’s the reasoning behind the deadline here?
One says this because one has observed the way law enforcers act after the clock hits 10 in the evening with shop owners. They are so tough with the salesmen (not all of them, mind you) that it reeks of something fishy. Clearly, fishing is not the case. The argument here is that if the government thinks that it is safe for outlets where people can meet and have a nice time for more than 12 hours to do business, then it is definitely a little confusing to have a 10 pm deadline. In addition, the occurrence of the disease, luckily, is going down in Karachi, as per figures published by the newspapers.
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Let’s hope and pray that it goes farther down, so that people with their loved ones will heave a sigh of relief.
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