ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik, on Saturday, expressed his concerns saying that coming days would be more critical for the country regarding spread of coronavirus. 

He said that the cases of COVID-19 would increase manifold. He appealed to the people to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of World Health Organisation (WHO) to protect themselves and others from deadly coronavirus. 

In his statement, Senator A. Rehman Malik stated that poor of the country could not afford the expensive coronavirus tests, therefore government must provide them free testing facility. He suggested that if the government could not afford free testing facility for the poor, it must establish a coronavirus Testing Fund and appeal the rich to donate generously to the fund so that everyone could be tested for COVID-19. He added that he was sure that the WHO would also be assisting Pakistan in carrying out the free coronavirus tests of the poor.

He urged the government to bear the charges of tests of deserving and poor patients. He said that on his instructions, the Secretary Interior had written a letter to the concerned authorities for free coronavirus tests of the poor for which he appreciated.

Senator Rehman Malik said that maximum numbers of tests would determine the exact number of positive cases, therefore the government must enhance testing capacity so that spread of coronavirus could be better determined in Pakistan. He appealed to the government, the opposition and the whole nation to forge national unity to combat coronavirus effectively.