As of April 26, 2020, the total Covid-19 cases in Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan stand at 6,703, 1,121, and 12,723 respectively
Even though the number of cases in both Australia and New Zealand is still on the lower side, when compared to other “western” states, their response has been unified, apolitical, clear, and effective
Therefore, Australia’s Covid-19 patient recovery rate stands at roughly 80% (number of infected patients fully recovered), whereas New Zealand’s recovery rate stands at roughly 75%
On the other hand, Pakistan’s patient recovery rate is less than 25%
[caption id="attachment_95773" align="alignnone" width="600"]Our World in Data[/caption] Australia has enforced strict measures for both its citizens and residents as well as international visitors and visa holders
On March 19th , Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to close the country’s borders to all “non-citizens”
This meant that other than Australian citizens, permanent residents and those on special status visas, no one was allowed to enter the country after the prime minister’s announcement
Hence, at the moment, about 10 per cent of Australians who have caught the virus don’t know how they got it, which is a sign of community spread; indicating an extremely low percentage of local transmission
Most of the remaining cases, as reported by the government, have come from “foreigners” or Australians entering the country from overseas
Similarly, New Zealand has also effectively contained the spread of Covid-19 in recent days and has implemented an “Alert Level 4 – Eliminate” for the pandemic
Level 4 Alert implies that “it is likely that the disease is not contained”
According to Michael Baker and Nick Wilson, writing for The Guardian, this “elimination approach” by New Zealand is different from the “mitigation” approach of managing the pandemic influenza
It is due to this aggressive approach that the number of daily new cases in both Australia and New Zealand is steadily falling
Also, when it comes to mass testing, Australia and New Zealand boast a higher number of “tests per 1000 people” when compared to Pakistan
Where Australia and New Zealand’s “tests per 1000 people” number stands at 25
02 and 19
94 respectively, Pakistan, on the other hand, has conducted only 0
69 tests per 1000 people (see below Fig 2)
[caption id="attachment_95775" align="alignnone" width="600"]Our World in Data[/caption] A major take away from both Australia and New Zealand is the fact that both the countries were able to implement an early lockdown, by not only enforcing social distancing measures but also recommending that all non-essential workers work from home
Moreover, both countries also shut down their borders for international travel; hence cutting down the international supply chain of the virus
Hence, the infections that happened overseas among the citizens and residents of both countries were separated from the local population
However, even though both these countries have succeeded in controlling the spread of coronavirus, not all countries, especially Pakistan, enjoy the luxury of pursuing such a comprehensive “elimination strategy”
An elimination strategy can only work effectively where states can seal their borders and can bear the immense cost of mass testing and financial and healthcare support
A recent study by Yale also argued that a “full lockdown” can only be effective in more stable economies such as the United States (US) and Germany
The study argues: “Social distancing measures are predicted to save a large number of lives in high-income countries, to the extent that practically any economic cost of distancing is worth bearing
The economic value generated by equally effective social distancing policies is estimated to be 240 times larger for the United States, or 70 times larger for Germany, compared to the value created in Pakistan or Nigeria
” Hence, Pakistan’s decision of pursuing a “smart lockdown”, as explained by Prime Minsiter Imran Khan, might carry “some” weight
Moreover, Khan’s decision of allowing many businesses to remain open shouldn’t surprise many as even with such strict measures, most businesses in Australia have remained open; as long as they implement and follow social distancing measures
In Pakistan, though, social distancing is difficult to implement, keeping in view the lower levels of mass awareness and regard for the law
A major lesson for Pakistan, however, from both Australia and New Zealand’s Covid-19 response is following a clear, concise and non-political policy
Both these countries, after the early rise in numbers of infections, were not only clear in their approach and policy actions, but the political parties also avoided confrontations with each other
Even though Pakistan might not enjoy such favourable conditions – such as strong democratic structures, a stable economy and easy to manage borders – it can still ensure that its “mitigation strategy” for containing the coronavirus pandemic is clear and well laid-out
Moreover, Khan needs to take the lead and avoid political conflict, which pits Sindh (and the Pakistan Peoples Party) against the federation
Only a clear apolitical policy and its implementation can, therefore, pull Pakistan out of this global health catastrophe that has claimed thousands of lives
Date: | 28-Apr-2020 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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