COVID-19 patients could increase to 1 million if SOPs not followed: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD (HRNW) – Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that the pace of spread of COVID-19 could increase if precautionary measures not taken seriously and the number of coronavirus patients could increase to one million at the end of July.

He gave media briefing at National Command and Operation Centre in Islamabad today and said that total cases in the country have reached closer to 150,000 which could increase two fold by the end of this month. He cautioned that by the end of next month, the same number could reach at 1 to 1.2 million cases.

Asad Umar said there is drastic need to take actions at societal as well as individual levels. He said wearing masks is mandatory for slowing down the spread of disease. He said some studies suggest that the pace of coronavirus spread could be decreased by fifty percent by covering the face alone and social distancing has the same importance, he added.

The Minister said administrative actions have been taken to protect the people from this disease. He said shops, transport and individuals have been fined who were not following the SOPs. He warned that such actions will be increased now.