Doctors in Pakistan are urging their government to reverse a decision allowing prayer congregations at mosques during Ramadan, warning the spread of coronavirus could spiral out of control.
Pakistan on Saturday lifted precautionary restrictions on congregational prayers during the Muslim holy month.
The decision came three days after clerics said such limitations were not acceptable and after several clashes between police and worshippers.
Prime Minister Imran Khan defended the decision on Wednesday saying "Ramadan is a month of worship, people want to go to mosques".
Prime Minister Imran Khan. Source: Getty
"Do we forcefully tell them to not go to mosques? And if they go, will the police put worshippers in jail? This does not happen in an independent society," he said, according to local media.
He said the nation was "fighting against the coronavirus together".
Local doctors criticised the decision at a press conference on Wednesday.
A volunteer disinfects a building in Karachi. Source: AAP
"Unfortunately, our rulers have made a wrong decision; our clerics have shown a non-serious attitude," Dr Qaiser Sajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association said.
The doctors said a 20-point standard operating procedure for mosques agreed between the government and religious leaders was not practical or implementable.
Another doctor at the news conference, Dr Saad Niaz, said coronavirus facilities in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, had already reached maximum capacity.
At this rate, Dr Niaz added, medical facilities will face great difficulties in coming days and patients will have to be denied admission because there will be no beds.
In a statement distributed at the news conference, doctors called for strict enforcement of lockdowns, urging businesses to bear with the hardships for a few more weeks until the virus can be brought under control.
People around the country and internationally took to social media to also express concern.
Pakistan, the world's second most populous Muslim country after Indonesia, has reported more than 10,000 cases of the coronavirus, including 212 deaths. Both the government and experts say the peak for infections is expected to hit in May.
Last week, Pakistan extended a nationwide lockdown for two weeks, but eased restrictions on some activities, including key industrial production and mosques.
Mr Khan was tested for the disease this week but was found to be negative, according to local news reports.
Additional reporting: Reuters
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