ISLAMABAD: A briefing was held on the coronavirus situation and measures being adopted to combat the disease here at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday.

Minister for Planning, Development, Refo­rms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar chaired the meeting which reviewed progress made so far and the future course of action.

The meeting reviewed measures taken with detailed analysis of progress in various fields. In the session, focus remained on recommendations for the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday to take policy decisions for containment measures post-April 14.

Various options came under consideration. The forum carried out an in-depth analysis of pros and cons of each option and finalised recommendations to be taken up by the NCC for final decision on the subject.

National Command and Operation Centre reviews Covid-19 situation

The forum dilated upon the 47-day progress started from detection of first case on Feb 26, health projections till April 30 and medical supply line management with focus on procurement and distribution plan of critical requirements.

Mr Umar emphasised the need for effect-based measures to overcome the pandemic. The local transmission was increasing particularly in populated areas which needed immediate measures for containment of the virus, he added.

He said to ensure optimal utilisation of present testing capacity, labs load management and point of care facility should be put in place.

To assess efficacy of measures taken, the forum reviewed global and regional data and noted that from the first detected case till containment measures taken so far, social distancing awareness and timely intervention, Pakistan’s strategy was on right track learning from the best practices as well as grey areas across the world.

The forum appreciated all the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit- Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) for enforcement of the containment measures in letter and spirit.

Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar gave a detailed plan of action on domestic transport (land and rail) and industries. Possibility of phased easing of industries was the central theme, which would be presented in the NCC meeting for final decision.

Retired Brig Ijaz Ahmed Shah, Minister for Interior; Omar Ayub Khan, Minister for Energy; Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Economic Affairs; Fakhar Imam, Minister for National Food and Security; Moeed Yousaf, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security; Tania Aidrus, Special Assistant to the PM on Digital Pakistan; Abdul Razak Dawod, Adviser to the PM for Commerce; and PM’s Focal Person Dr Faisal Sultan also attended the briefing.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2020