AFP/Files

The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) warned that mosques are becoming a major source of virus transmission and urged people to offer prayers at home. The statement came as the nation-wide tally for reported coronavirus cases surge past 12,000 and is expected to climb up exponentially in the coming months.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday, PIMA President Dr Iftikhar Burney apprised that the coronavirus cases have increased dramatically during the past week and are expected to further go up in the coming months of May and June.

“One week ago, around 6,000 cases for coronavirus surfaced in a month,” he said, adding that the number of patients has doubled in the last six days.

The president went on to say that the numbers are way higher than they are projected and maintained that it is not ethical to hide facts from people.

Expressing concerns over the rapid penetration of virus among health professionals, Burney said that a large number of doctors including paramedics have been diagnosed with coronavirus during the past week.

“At present, more than 200 medical staff, including 100 doctors, have tested coronavirus positive,” he regretted.

Debunking the myths that the occurrence of coronavirus is relatively low in Pakistan, the PIMA president said: “We think we are loved by God and therefore epidemics will not reach us, however, such fallacies should be dispelled and the severity of the disease should not be undermined, especially under these critical circumstances.”

“Our government initially took an effective step by sending the country into a strict lockdown. Consequently, the disease did not get worse in the beginning,” the president noted, adding that ‘smart lockdowns’ are not operative for countries like Pakistan.

“We will not be able to keep people inside their homes under a smart lockdown for a longer period of time,” he warned, lamenting that there is no definitive cure for the disease, and on the other hand, hospitals are running out of facilities.

While referring to the concerns of the business community, Burney advised that the traders should show perseverance and shouldn’t pressurise the authorities for easing lockdowns.

While calling for a stricter imposition of lockdown in the coming weeks, Burney stated that the disease has reached alarming levels and would cause further complexities if measures are not implemented on time.

‘Action will be taken if Sops not followed in mosques’

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that action will be taken if the 20-point agreement regarding safety precautions and mosques' SOPs between the government and ulema are not implemented by people in Ramadan.

While updating masses on the latest situation regarding the coronavirus with his ministers and advisors, PM Imran had said that Pakistan was an "independent nation" hence it could not force worshippers to not pray in mosques.

"The war for coronavirus is being fought by the entire country. It [coronavirus] will not differentiate between the rich and the poor. It can happen to anyone," he said. "If we deploy police outside mosques and throw worshippers in prisons, independent nations do not behave like this," he added.