People across the country are in panic today soon after the news came that the government confirmed the first two cases of Coronavirus in Pakistan. The killer Coronavirus is now spreading globally almost unhindered. The stormy attack of the deadly virus will leave direct impacts on the affected countries whereas the states are nervous and the leadership is worried about their people. Countries that have been identified with the moderate number of patients have taken strict actions since new cases of this infection in the central Chinese city of Wuhan are being reported daily around the world.

In mainland China, 2,715 people have died from COVID-19, as the illness is officially known, while more than 78,064 infections have been confirmed, according to the World Health Organization. Hundreds of cases have been confirmed around the world, with the virus now present in more than 30 nations. So far in Afghanistan 1, Algeria 1, Australia 23, Austria 2, Bahrain 26, Belgium 1, Cambodia 1, Canada 11, China 78,064, Croatia 1, Egypt 1, Finland 1, France 17, Germany 17, Greece 1, India 3, Iran 139, Iraq 5, Italy 323, Japan 171 and 691, Kuwait 18, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 22, Israel 2, Nepal 1, Oman 2, Philippines 3, Russia 2, Singapore 91, South Korea 1,261, Spain 6, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 31, Thailand 40, United Arab Emirates 13, United Kingdom 13, United States 57 and 16 cases are confirmed in Vietnam. The statistics released so far above show the highly dangerous trend of the continuous increase in the number of victims of Coronavirus across the globe which is risking the lives of healthy human beings. This needs to be countered properly before it affected more life and it is the basic responsibility of every state to provide life protection to its citizens. The impact of Coronavirus is highly dangerous as so far there is no proper medical treatment of this deadly disease hence we need to create awareness among our nation by educating the common people, training our paramedics and taking precautionary measures on an emergency basis. The media needs to move an awareness plan fast for the information of common people as Coronavirus is highly dangerous and has been given the name ‘anti-economy virus’ which has already given serious dent in the production and exports of China. Let us not be optimistic about ignoring the forthcoming challenge of Coronavirus which can only be avoided through proper measures. We all know that our west border neighbors have already numerous cases. Iran has not released the exact figures fearing low turnout of upcoming elections. I have a valid question to let people of Pakistan know that what guarantees the zero diagnoses of Coronavirus in Pakistan till today before the two new cases were confirmed as it is a very logical and thought-provoking question. I can say with information that certain cases have been reported from specific areas including diesel smugglers from Iran. This erupted in the first week of December 2019 while the news broke out in the international domain at the end of January 2020. How we can overrule that no patient had entered Pakistan with Coronavirus so far.

The problem of Pakistani students living in China is causing unrest among their parents in Pakistan. Has the Government ensured that all Chinese (and now the people from other victim nations as well) before and after coming to Pakistan had Coronavirus-free certificate in hand so that it could be produced at the airline counters before boarding the plane and also at the time of booking seats? Are there any proper checking counters installed for screening for Coronavirus under the supervision of a team of qualified doctors? Have all the hospitals arranged extra beds and measures to ensure the safety of victims and their isolation from others and have the airport authorities ensured screening for Coronavirus of foreigners as well as the nationals arriving in Pakistan? Have all the respective institutions and departments i.e. Pakistan’s health department, Pakistan embassy in Beijing, Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and Interior Ministries of both states have devised a workable plan for the safety of passengers traveling both sides? Have all the schools, colleges and universities present in the country educated the students about the importance of wearing masks and avoiding direct contact with people? Has the Ministry of Health introduced a Coronavirus awareness and management center to deal with this risk at both Federal and Provincial levels? Has the Federal Government kept the list of countries with confirmed Coronavirus outbreak into consideration in order to grant visas and entry to the residents of those countries in Pakistan?

Is Federal Government keeping direct and regular contact with the Pakistani students stuck in China to know about their wellbeing?