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Lockdown or No Lockdown? Confusion Dominates Pakistan's COVID Response

Ayesha Tanzeem

   ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Thursday his
   government would ease coronavirus-linked closures of businesses and
   allow some industries to open because of the risk of many of the poor
   starving to death.
   "The ruling elite decided to '¦ announce a lockdown instantly. They
   didn't think about the poor, the daily wager, the common man and how
   would he cope," Khan said in an address here.
   Later that day, after chairing a meeting on COVID-19's impact, he
   advocated a response similar to those of Iran and Egypt, which, he
   said, had "opened up all of their businesses but banned public
   gatherings."
   Last month, he had allowed the construction industry to open in a bid
   to restart the economy and provide jobs.
   Meanwhile, two of the country's four provinces have indicated they
   would like to go the other way and maintain a strict lockdown for the
   time being.
   Sindh province has announced it would keep all nonessential businesses
   closed at least till Eid, the Muslim festival toward the end of May.
   Balochistan province has indicated it may even introduce curfew-like
   conditions to stop the rising levels of local transmissions.
   Part of the differences in policy stems from Pakistan's governmental
   structure that allows provinces to chart their own course. Even within
   Khan's own Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Justice Movement, party, though, the
   response has not been united.

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