By Neelum Wali The word COVID-19 stands for coronavirus disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”. COVID-19 is linked to the family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Different viruses are given their names according to their genetic structure. The virus was named as SARS-CoV-2 on February 11, 2020, due to its genetic …

The pandemic causes a 22% decline in tourist arrivals in Q1, or $80bn loss, says UNWTO reports   Herald Report The coronavirus pandemic has caused 22% fall in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year 2020 and could further drop by 60-80% over the whole year, says a report. The UN tourism watchdog says 67 …

By Gul Hammad Farooqi CHITRAL: As the fear of the people of Chitral rises due to the spike in coronavirus cases in the Hindu Kush mountainous region, so does the anxiety of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) staffers who have not yet been paid their salaries for the last three months. The TMA officials are performing duty in a very …

AWPGB arranged 200 PPEs through its #CoronaSolidarityCampaign for health workers serving in remote areas Bureau Report GILGIT: Awami Workers Party (AWP) is Leftwing party, is perhaps the among the few political parties in Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan which responded swiftly to the Coronavirus pandemic and prepared relief and economic plans. The AWP launched relief activities and provided rations to over 700 …

Doctors, WHO, and HRCP warn the government against the spike in Coronavirus cases if religious congregations allowed   High Asia Herald Report   Islamabad/Lahore/Gilgit: Doctors, world health watchdog, and a premier human rights body have alarmed at the spike in coronavirus cases in Pakistan and urged the government to enforce a complete lockdown. They have also asked the PTI-led government …

  There is a need to focus responses on women in Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) regions, write Chanda Gurung Goodrich and Kosar Bano in an essay on gender inequalities during the pandemic published on the ICIMOD website    Disasters and public health emergencies often compound gender inequalities in developing societies. They do not have to, and in fact, rather could present opportunities …

  By Wajidul Islam   COVID-19 in a single person means that the whole human species is at risk. Statistics reveal that coronavirus is spreading like wildfire all over the world including some worse hit developed countries. The developed nations struggling due to the global pandemic, range from the United States of America to Europe and thus, bearing the brunt …

By Mesum Qasmi Insistence on offering prayers in mosques during the pandemic, knowing you can contract a virus and spread around is something very dangerous expression on irresponsible behaviour. Does it make one non-religious or infidel if he stays at home and thinks about others who can fall prey to the virus because of him? Is a very pertinent question …

By Karim Muhammad Khan   Alongside natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tsunami, cyclones, hurricanes and drought, studies also illustrate that the history of epidemics and plagues have also ravaged human population and disrupted the pattern of normal life. For instance, the discovery of 5000-years old houses in China filled with human skeletons revealed the lethal epidemics which infected and …