It is not about the virus per se, nor about the stress of being confined at home. It is about a large part of the Pakistani people, who due to the current challenging economic crisis and the confinement decreed in the face of the virus adversity, is suffering from fear, loneliness, deep poverty and hunger in times of a deadly pandemic. Living in Pakistan nowadays is an act of surviving adversities in a country of a panoply of human paradoxes, simultaneously inhaling and exhaling tragedies, irreverence but also magnificent and heroic efforts of solidarity. A sense of fundamental anchor is being created where safety and bonding keep the miracle of life alive. One million dollars in one hour, broke the record on the first day of a fundraising campaign with explosions of happiness. Three associations, sharing the values of transparency, political independence, integrity and non-discrimination, joined forces to organize this fundraising, soliciting the Lebanese diaspora in the United States to join hands to help the most disadvantaged. The sum raised has covered boxes of food for 50,000 families, around 175,000 people for one month. People, with an incredible devotion, are distributing boxes of food with love and compassion towards their compatriots with one uniting message: Food is a human right, no one should be hungry!
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen both benefits and drawbacks of being cooped up with family for long periods of time. And there’s certainly been added stress for families who have had to deal with remote learning situations for school-aged children.
Some, though, reported positive experiences with their families in such close quarters. Overall, 34% of those who responded said that they feel closer to their family and, in households with kids, 52% reported feeling like they’ve forged new connections. Additionally, 78% agreed that quarantine made them value their relationships.
As for that stress with kids, 27% of those surveyed who have kids in their households say their children have benefited from being able to spend more time with family.
The COVID-19 situation in Pakistan is once again getting precarious. Since the last two weeks the daily average death rate is near 125/day and daily confirmed cases have been above 4500. While the national positivity rate is +10%, many large cities show much higher positivity rates (Faisalabad 18%, Mardan 17%, Peshawar 16%, Karachi 14%, Lahore 13%, Multan 10.5% Rawalpindi 9%, Islamabad 9%) Major hospitals in larger cities are approaching full capacity.
Raja Aqib Akmal Khan
190301025