Pakistan has warned that the number of coronavirus cases in the country could double by the end of June and peak at more than 1mn infections just a month later.
The warning from Planning Minister Asad Umar comes as many in the country continue to ignore guidance on social distancing, hygiene and other measures to tackle the disease.
Pakistan currently has confirmed nearly 140,000 cases of Covid-19, with the death toll approaching 2,700.
The Covid-19 respiratory disease is caused by the coronavirus.
The authorities have ramped up testing, but this nonetheless remains limited, so real numbers are thought to be higher.
“Expert estimates say the number of confirmed cases could go up to 300,000 by the end of June if we keep on flouting SOPs (standard operating procedures) and taking the problem lightly,” said Umar, who is helping co-ordinate the government’s coronavirus response.
“We fear the number of confirmed cases could go up further to 1.2mn by end of next month,” he told reporters in Islamabad.
After initially lagging infection rates in Western nations, Pakistan and other South Asian countries are experiencing a surge in cases.
Pakistan’s increase comes after people violated government restrictions and thronged mosques and markets – mostly without masks and gloves – during Ramadan and ahead of the Eid festival last month.
Since the start of Pakistan’s outbreak in March, Prime Minister Imran Khan has opposed a nationwide lockdown of the sort seen elsewhere, arguing that the impoverished country could not afford it.
Instead, Pakistan’s four provinces ordered a patchwork of closures, but even those restrictions have now been lifted.
Umar said hotspot areas such as Lahore are now subject to “smart” lockdowns, in which authorities attempt to track coronavirus patients and limit who they come into contact with.
“The government has decided to go for smart lockdowns by tracking hotspots and then sealing them. This will start from Punjab province,” he said.
The authorities in Islamabad have already locked down at least one neighbourhood after tracking 200 confirmed coronavirus cases in just one day on Friday.
Healthcare staff began tracing the contacts of previously reported patients living in G-9 sector of Islamabad.
Two sub-sectors of G-9, G-9/2 and G-9/3, and the sector’s markaz known as Karachi Company, were sealed at midnight because of the spread of the coronavirus among local residents.
Deputy Commissioner Mohamed Hamza Shafqaat said that a team of healthcare and capital administration officials have begun tracing the contacts of confirmed patients who live in the sealed sub-sectors.
Once traced, they will be quarantined and tested for Covid-19.
He said the areas were sealed to prevent patients there from transmitting the disease to others and spreading the virus in other areas.
Residents of both sub-sectors will be screened for symptoms, and those with symptoms will be quarantined and tested.
Shafqaat said that during a visit to G-9 to check on the implementation of lockdown SOPs, police officers stationed in the area were found not to be wearing masks or taking other precautions.
The deputy commissioner said that masks and other protective equipment had been arranged and provided to them.
They were also provided food to limit contact with residents, Shafqaat said.
Daily-wage workers who live in the area are also being monitored, he said, and so far there has not been an issue regarding essential items for them.
However, trucks carrying essentials from utility stores have been arranged for residents.
Shops selling essentials such as groceries and green groceries, baked goods, meat and dairy products are also allowed to open.
These shops are also under surveillance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Shafqaat said.
Mosques are closed and ulema are co-operating with the administration.
Hospitals across Pakistan say they are at or near capacity, and some are turning Covid-19 patients away.
Umar: The number of confirmed cases could go up to 300,000 by the end of June ... if we keep taking the problem lightly.
