'Height of quackery?' Pak PM Imran Khan's aide tells nation 'Coronavirus is not deadly'

Even as the world battles the deadly Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan, in absolute denial has claimed that the virus will 'not kill' people. Misinforming the people of the country, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting, in a public address, said that the virus is 'only dangerous, but not deadly' 

"People should not be scared, and they should believe that this virus will not kill you even if you contract it and you will be alive. This is dangerous for sure, but not deadly," the Pakistani leader said in a video shared by a netizen.  In what may seem as an irresponsible statement by the Pakistan government comes even after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the Coronavirus pandemic is "accelerating" with over 300,000 confirmed cases.

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The brazen misinformation by the Pakistan government comes even as the country itself has recorded 6 deaths and has 878 confirmed cases. Meanwhile, the global death number stands at 16,510 on Tuesday morning. 

The coronavirus pandemic could lead to economic losses of nearly Rs 1.3 trillion in various sectors across Pakistan, international media reported. According to reports, the aforementioned losses will be incurred on account of the drop in the GDP growth because of reduction in the services sector, including airline business and others, Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) loss, the massive decline in imports, exports, reduction in remittances, and disruption in food supplies.

Imran Khan Refuses Complete Lockdown

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 22 ruled out complete lockdown in the country, saying it will create chaos and urged people to self-quarantine to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Addressing the nation as cases of the novel coronavirus surged across the country, Imran Khan reiterated that lockdown will create chaos as more than 25% of people were living below the poverty line and their lives will be shattered. He said the situation in Pakistan does not call for a lockdown yet.

“Let me first tell you what a complete lockdown is. It means imposing a curfew and locking people in their homes,” said Imran Khan. We cannot afford complete lockdown as it will create massive unrest, he said, adding that the situation in the country is not as bad as in Italy or France. If the condition was similar to that of Italy, I would have imposed a lockdown, he said.

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(With PTI inputs)