Abrupt shutdown

 

The sudden shutdown of businesses has upended the lives of millions of migrant laborers in Pakistani cities. More than a dozen migrants have died, and anger is rising. The nature of the health crisis and its economic fallout make it necessary for an urgent fiscal response, especially one targets severely affected sectors and low-income families.

Unemployment is on the rise due to this lockdown. People who had to earn a living so in these situations they are facing difficulty. Due to the closure of all businesses, people are facing poverty and many problems. People are very upset, As the government is puzzled on how to distribute the rations to the lower class families and sounds Impossible to be at everyone’s reach, so the govt. can take help from companies like K-Electric, WAPDA, Sui gas, etc who make sure that the utility bills are in reach of every house. Since people are getting upset govt. should look into this and resolve the issue as soon as possible.

IBAAD HASSAN,

Karachi.

 
 

Salute our heroes

 

In a current situation, we must acknowledge the struggle of all doctors and government officers everywhere in the world. It is a national tragedy and the government of Pakistan should award them. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world has realised the worth of doctors who are in the front line in the war against the deadly disease.

No doubt they even risk their lives for saving the lives of hundreds and thousands of people. It is true that they need the government’s encouragement and proper facilities to work with real and zest in everyday duties in their respective hospitals.

MUHAMMAD HAIDER,

Karachi.

 
 

Economic crisis

 

Every time Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has addressed the public and media about coronavirus, he’s made it very clear that he doesn’t really believe in strict lockdown or in a countrywide lockdown for a longer period of time. But according to a new poll of leading economists from the University of Chicago’s Booth School, there is little support among experts for the idea that officials must choose between saving lives through continued social distancing and saving the economy by ending the practice.

Instead, the overwhelming majority of the economists they surveyed warn that “abandoning severe lockdowns at a time when the likelihood of a resurgence in infections remains high will lead to greater total economic damage” than keeping the lockdowns in place and riding things out. Of course, that the Chicago poll says this doesn’t make it true. But it’s worth underscoring that there is no evidence of a disjuncture in views between what public health experts think and what economic policy experts think.

There is broad agreement among economists that there is no economic gain to be had by opening up businesses if that allows the virus to overwhelm health care system capacity in the way we’ve already seen in Wuhan, Lombardy, Madrid, and now New York. The only real question is whether we have an adequate handle on exactly where the line is between extreme social distancing and allowing the business to continue as normal.

SYED AMA,

Lahore.