In a major win, the Economist ranks Pakistan at the top in its Normalcy Index. Pakistan ranked above many developed economies, including the US and the UK. It also beat India.
The Economist’s Normalcy Index determines which countries returned to their pre-pandemic levels, by grading each country using eight indicators. The indicators are time not at home, retail, office use, public transport, road traffic, flights, cinema, and sports attendance.
The article by the Economist notes that “although much of the rich world is now vaccinated, covid-19 lingers.” Moreover, Europe and Central Asian countries will witness an increase in Covid cases owing to the cold weather. It further reveals that policymakers fear people’s compliance with Covid restrictions weakened.
Interestingly, Pakistan fared better than other countries with an increase in daily activities, suggesting an ease of Covid restrictions due to fewer cases.
Read more: Pakistani cinemas set to reopen as Covid restrictions ease
Pakistan tops the Normalcy Index from The Economist.
Under PM @ImranKhanPTI leadership, our effective Covid response & successful management strategy is being recognized all over the world. @OfficialNcoc
https://t.co/0KduyIwdZF— PTI (@PTIofficial) November 8, 2021
Earlier today, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) revealed that Pakistan reported 449 cases after testing 41,709 samples.
With a positivity rate of 1.07%, the country reported a single-digit death of 9 in the last 24 hours. This is a vast improvement from when Covid was at its peak.
The decrease in the death rate comes as the government increased its pressure on the public for getting vaccines. To ensure that the public vaccinates itself, the government gave deadlines and made vaccines mandatory for employees.
Read more: Unvaccinated people won’t be allowed to work after 31st August: Asad Umar
Statistics 8 Nov 21:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 41,709
Positive Cases: 449
Positivity %: 1.07%
Deaths : 09
Patients on Critical Care: 1235— NFRCC (@NFRCCofficial) November 8, 2021
Pertinent to note, earlier, the Normalcy Index ranked Pakistan third with Hong Kong topping the charts. New Zealand ranked second. However, this time around, Pakistan also surpassed New Zealand.
It appears as if the government’s strict measures led Pakistan to success.
Pakistan beats the UK in Normalcy Index
Pakistan’s ranking is a huge win for the country which faced the brunt of the UK’s restrictions against it this year.
On April 9, the UK put Pakistan on its red list due to concerns about the risk of travelers importing new variants of Covid into the country. The decision sparked anger in Pakistan as it had a low number of cases as compared to Germany and France, which, incidentally, were not on the list.
The UK also put India on the red list. However, it moved India to its amber list while keeping Pakistan on the red list. Officials in Pakistan, along with lawmakers in the UK called the decision prejudice against Pakistan, since the country managed its covid situation better than India.
Read more: India taken off UK’s red list but Pakistan stays?
Finally, after months of lobbying, the UK removed Pakistan from its red list in September this year. In this regard, Pakistan ranking above the UK in the Economist’s Normalcy Index is a laudable achievement.