People should self-quarantine for 45 days to cope with coronavirus: PM

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned the people to strictly follow social distancing measures as the country “is facing two major threats” due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, saying “people should self-quarantine for at least another 45 days to help tackle the crisis”.“I fear that if the number of coronavirus cases spiked suddenly like happened in Europe our health care system would not be able to cope with the system as they are not enough ventilators and ICU,” the premier said during his interaction with senior journalists in Islamabad on Friday. Speaking of the second major menace, he said the spread of panic and fear in the society will make the situation worse. “Media houses need to refrain from creating sensationalism and PEMRA will issue guideline in this regard.”Responding to the crticisim about the alleged mismanagement in the quarantine camps at Pakistan-Iran border, he said the federal and Balochistan government provided all facilities to pilgrims at the Taftan border.“It is unfair to accuse Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan for the spread of coronavirus,” the prime minister said, adding that the virus in Pakistan spread due to Iran’s inability to control the spread of COVID-19. “I urge international community to immediately lift the sanctions from Iran.”He also said experts believe that with the increase in temperature the intensity of coronavirus will reduce.