Government ‘communication failure’ reason 55% Pakistanis believe virus threat exaggerated — Gallup official

4-year-old Tasmina adjusts her protective face mask as she waits with her family for a train at a railway station, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Karachi, Pakistan June 9, 2020.( Reuters photo)

• Health ministry spokesman urges people to take coronavirus seriously, use all precautions to stem spread of the virus 
• On Monday, the total number of confirmed infections in Pakistan had crossed 180,000, with more than 3,500 fatalities

ISLAMABAD: The executive director of pollster Gallup Pakistan said on Monday the failure of the government in effectively communicating the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis was one of the main reasons why 55 percent of Pakistanis believed the threat of the disease was exaggerated. 
The new Coronavirus Attitude Tracker Survey released on Monday aimed to measure changes in public perception, attitude and behavior since the beginning of the lockdown in Pakistan, public response and behavior toward coronavirus initiatives and preventive measures, and the overall changes and impact of the lockdown on the daily lives of ordinary Pakistanis and businesses.
According to the findings of the survey, 55% Pakistanis believe that the threat of the coronavirus was exaggerated and 59 percent were hopeful life would return to normal by the end of the year.
On Monday, the total number of confirmed infections in Pakistan had crossed 180,000, with more than 3,500 fatalities. The first coronavirus case was reported in Pakistan in late February. 
“The communication failure is another reason [of public skepticism] as the government took a mixed stand on it,” Bilal Gilani, executive-director of Gallup Pakistan, told Arab News on Monday. “The government has been flip flopping on it and this led to a public opinion that perhaps this [coronavirus] doesn’t exist.”
Other reasons for public disbelief was the low number of infections and deaths, and because only one fourth of Pakistani families included persons aged 60 and above, Gilani said.
All these reasons, he said, “give people a kind of invincible feeling...they also say there is nobody around them suffering from the disease and this is the main reason behind the skepticism.”
He said doubts about the extent of the coronavirus threat were “slightly more in urban areas and ten percent more in Sindh comparatively to the national level.” 
Fearful of the economic and financial impact, and swayed by the acute hardship suffered by millions of poor families, Prime Minister Imran Khan defended the lifting of lockdowns last month.
With the lockdown all but over, the Eid holiday in May drew big crowds to malls and shops, and people traveled in droves to reach their hometowns. While the government had advised people to act responsibly, and avoid going out for non-essential reasons, few instructions were given for special precautions needed over the festival period.
Experts say measures that could curb cases – like limits on religious gatherings and crowded shopping areas and emphasising social distancing – should be reinstated and some doctors are raising the alarm. ‘Smart lockdowns’ in specific areas have now been reimposed in various parts of the country since this month. 
The Gallup survey shows a split in public opinion over whether the COVID-19 pandemic had been brought under control: 47% agreed, 48% disagreed and 33% strongly disagreed.
Gilani said limited testing meant the current national tally of coronavirus infections did not reflect the total number of actual cases. 
“The numbers reported are far less than the actual numbers,” he said. “Our studies say the actual coronavirus numbers are at least ten times more than the reported.”
Sajid Hussain Shah, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Health Services, told Arab News the number of coronavirus cases was increasing exponentially as testing increased, with more than 30,000 tests being carried out daily. 
Commenting on public disbelief in the seriousness of the disease, Shah said: “People shouldn’t pay heed to fake news and propaganda regarding the disease, as this could be deadlier in coming days if not taken seriously,” adding that the government was providing all necessary equipment including ventilators to public hospitals across the country.
“Those who are making puns of the disease should fear the day they will be infected due to their carelessness,” he said, urging the public to follow all precautions to stem the spread of the virus.