Lockdowns work in societies where joint family system is non existent, literacy rate is higher, great awareness among citizens, government are transparent and honest, and poverty is not going through the sky. Not in our country where we have all things needed either absent or negligible, writes Mohsin Sayeed.
So, the current lockdown strategy is clearly not working. Reports are that the Sindh government will come down hard on violators. What's the solution?
Hindsight wisdom tells that if the government gave notice of 15 days to citizens to wrap all work and other assignments in end February, made health sector ready to deal with Corona emergencies, equipped the medical professionals, organised distribution of ration door to door through army and NDMA using the Dam fund, unused funds of Defence and other departments and announced a lockdown a month, then it would worked perfectly. As per the government, they began working on corona crisis even before WHO declared it a pandemic.
However, we wake after the storm is in our heads. First, destructive national ailment. We take half baked decision on ad hoc basis. And then to justify, we lie through our teeth. Second dangerous national ailment. And then third is that we try to copy the west/developed nations and societies that are far ahead of us without taking into account our culture, societal and social practices and mindset and adapting concepts accordingly. This is our National Complex. Democracy is a shining example of this national complex phenomenon.
But the biggest issue is the severe lack of political will. Vision can still be HD if there's a will. We simply don't have the will to improve conditions and tackle tackle dire situations. We try that it gets over automatically. Or the best weapons/strategies/policies to fight crises are Inshallah, God will help us, God's mercy.
Also lockdowns work in societies where joint family system is non existent, literacy rate is higher, great awareness among citizens, government are transparent and honest, and poverty is not going through the sky. Not in our country where we have all things needed either absent or negligible.
So now what to do? How to come out to of this crisis without starving people to death or worse, a civil war?
Lockdown can still be implemented as I suggested above. But for that you need will. And by bowing to mullahs for opening the mosques, we have witnessed that our government is not familiar with the concept. So what's the other option?
Open the country and wait for the herd immunity to take over.
This will lessen cabin fever, food insecurity and rising hysteria in the country. See, we are one of the dirties people countries on the planet. While these unhygienic habits and conditions cause a number of diseases, viral and bacterial outbreaks every year, the upside is that our immunity as a nation has risen.
Jokes aside Herd Immunity is the only workable solution. Yes, corona case are galloping every day but what's amazing is the low death rate. I understand that we don't have the testing facilities, but coffins can't be hidden. Remember, the heat wave in 2015 in Karachi?
Morgues were full, no ice available, coffins were in am acute shortage. Government claimed less than 2000 deaths, unofficial sources working day and night in the filed claimed far greater numbers. So, deaths can't be hidden. And there are not as many deaths as should have been with the prevailing pathetic medical facilities, a clueless government, a weak state and incompetent disaster management scenario.
Now, there are only two options: open the country or riots, arsoning leading to a civil war like situation. The clock is ticking as people are losing patience fast. This time the government has to choose rather wisely.
So, the current lockdown strategy is clearly not working. Reports are that the Sindh government will come down hard on violators. What's the solution?
Hindsight wisdom tells that if the government gave notice of 15 days to citizens to wrap all work and other assignments in end February, made health sector ready to deal with Corona emergencies, equipped the medical professionals, organised distribution of ration door to door through army and NDMA using the Dam fund, unused funds of Defence and other departments and announced a lockdown a month, then it would worked perfectly. As per the government, they began working on corona crisis even before WHO declared it a pandemic.
However, we wake after the storm is in our heads. First, destructive national ailment. We take half baked decision on ad hoc basis. And then to justify, we lie through our teeth. Second dangerous national ailment. And then third is that we try to copy the west/developed nations and societies that are far ahead of us without taking into account our culture, societal and social practices and mindset and adapting concepts accordingly. This is our National Complex. Democracy is a shining example of this national complex phenomenon.
But the biggest issue is the severe lack of political will. Vision can still be HD if there's a will. We simply don't have the will to improve conditions and tackle tackle dire situations. We try that it gets over automatically. Or the best weapons/strategies/policies to fight crises are Inshallah, God will help us, God's mercy.
Also lockdowns work in societies where joint family system is non existent, literacy rate is higher, great awareness among citizens, government are transparent and honest, and poverty is not going through the sky. Not in our country where we have all things needed either absent or negligible.
So now what to do? How to come out to of this crisis without starving people to death or worse, a civil war?
Lockdown can still be implemented as I suggested above. But for that you need will. And by bowing to mullahs for opening the mosques, we have witnessed that our government is not familiar with the concept. So what's the other option?
Open the country and wait for the herd immunity to take over.
This will lessen cabin fever, food insecurity and rising hysteria in the country. See, we are one of the dirties people countries on the planet. While these unhygienic habits and conditions cause a number of diseases, viral and bacterial outbreaks every year, the upside is that our immunity as a nation has risen.
Jokes aside Herd Immunity is the only workable solution. Yes, corona case are galloping every day but what's amazing is the low death rate. I understand that we don't have the testing facilities, but coffins can't be hidden. Remember, the heat wave in 2015 in Karachi?
Morgues were full, no ice available, coffins were in am acute shortage. Government claimed less than 2000 deaths, unofficial sources working day and night in the filed claimed far greater numbers. So, deaths can't be hidden. And there are not as many deaths as should have been with the prevailing pathetic medical facilities, a clueless government, a weak state and incompetent disaster management scenario.
Now, there are only two options: open the country or riots, arsoning leading to a civil war like situation. The clock is ticking as people are losing patience fast. This time the government has to choose rather wisely.