Maram Nawaz's Violation Of Coronavirus Protocols Widely Criticized

Medical practitioners on Monday asked the officials concerned to take notice of the massive violation of Coronavirus SOPs during the visit of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz to Sheikhupura and holding a procession and a public meeting

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2021 ) :Medical practitioners on Monday asked the officials concerned to take notice of the massive violation of Coronavirus SOPs during the visit of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz to Sheikhupura and holding a procession and a public meeting.

"When Corona situation is worst and the number of cases is increasing, it is the moral obligation of everyone to strictly follow Corona SOPs," Dr Taimoor Khalid, a medical practitioner said while commenting on PML-N's yesterday's public gathering despite strict instructions of departments concerned to avoid such activities in the country.

He added, "When a senior leader of a major political party openly violates the COVID-19 SOPs how a common citizen will follow it. This is so strange and disappointing as doctors at hospitals were struggling to save precious lives and urging people to follow all SOPs for their protection." He said that inviting people during her visit shows the mindset of party leadership and their seriousness in tackling the disease in high-risk corona situation.

Another medical practitioner Dr Adnan Asad said that rather than creating awareness in political workers about fully following the Corona SOPs by mainstream political parties of the country, the visit of Maryam Nawaz proved that they were, unfortunately, playing with the lives of people.

He said that country's health system had already overburdened with a high corona case positivity ratio. "When provincial and local administrations were struggling to ensure the provision of basic facilities to Corona patients at hospitals, this political activity is unacceptable in such situation. " He said that during this political gathering all basic aspects of SOPs were violated which were prepared for public safety like avoiding public gatherings, wearing masks, staying at home, and maintaining six feet distance from others in case of essential work outside.

He said that there was another direction from the government that in case of developing COVID-19 symptoms people should stay at home but this order was also violated during her visit, he added and said that there were chances of spread of disease in participants of her public gathering and rally from those carrying the virus.

Dr Arsalan Mateen said that they planned their political activity during that period when the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had decided to take extraordinary steps at the Federal, provincial, and district levels to ensure the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) SOPs from May 8-16.

He said that the NCOC decided that during this period all business and shops will remain closed with few exceptions while there was a complete ban on tourism for both locals and outsiders, picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls, all hotels and restaurants in or around tourist or picnic spots. "All responsible citizens were at home in these days, but the PML-N leadership insisted their workers to leave their homes and join their gathering and procession just to welcome Maryam Nawaz." He said that this activity will cause disease expansion which had already caused a burden on the country's health system as Covid cases were jumping up for the past few weeks. He said that that this time is not of any complacency rather strict compliance of SOPs.

He said that it was observed that the participants of the public gathering and rally were not following Corona's SOPs properly. He said that the current situation shows the increasing trend of Corona disease and its complications in its third wave in the country and appealed to the political parties to avoid holding any public gathering.

He said that there was no arrangement of thermal-gun screening or masks, gloves, or sanitizers for participants of the PML-N rally and public gathering in Sheikhupura.

It is pertinent to mention here that as per media reports there was a public gathering on the arrival of PML-N Vice President in Sheikhupura while people were also present during her visit to party member Javed Latif's family despite clear instructions from provincial and district administrations to strictly follow Corona SOPs.