‘Pakistan govt pursuing holistic strategy to keep COVID-19 at bay’

Islamabad, June 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Imran Khan’s top aide on health Dr Zafar Mirza

on Wednesday said that the Pakistan government has been pursuing a holistic strategy to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

Mirza’s response came after the World Health Organisation wrote to the Pakistan government suggesting that the country should reimpose intermittent lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19, The News International reported.

He said that the government has made tough choices to ensure there is a balance between saving lives and sustaining livelihoods.

Mirza said that the country has a ‘robust’ tracing, testing and quarantine policy to know about the hotspots and seal them.

“Currently there are more than seven hundred such smart lockdowns in place,” he said.

Mirza added that the country is also beefing up its healthcare system in order to facilitate more patients, adding that the government has formulated its policies based on best evidence on the virus and assessment of its own socio-economic condition.

The Special Assistant to PM also lauded the role and guidance rendered by the WHO during the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, Pakistan recorded more than 113,500 cases of the virus and above 2,200 deaths.

–IANS

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