Week 33 starts in Karachi, with worrying signs as the Virus spikes

 Edited BY

G P Kennedy

Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan

An alarming rise in COVID cases across the country resulted in the Government imposing fresh measures in an effort to curb its spread. Cases have increased threefold in a short time span of just three months.

The Government imposed a 100 Rupee (50 cents) fine for not wearing masks in public. 100 Rupee is not a big amount but one must not forget that the minimum wage in Pakistan is Rupees 17,500 (USD 110) a month and that Rupees100 is the cost of one very basic vegetarian meal

 

All offices were recommended to have only 50 percent of their staff coming in. My husband who had only just started going into work in September when Covid cases began to ease,  will now also be spending much more time working from home, once again. The biggest restriction was imposed on wedding entertainment. As mentioned in my previous blogs, weddings are a “big business” here in Pakistan. 

With festivities lasting days if not weeks, and people spending the majority of their life’s savings on producing several grand feasts for hundreds of people, along with huge amounts spent on clothes and jewelry. The new restrictions mean that wedding functions are now to be restricted to only two hours. Buffet dinners are to be banned and seating to be made 6 feet apart.

I was thrilled to hear the news that Pfizer had a 90% success rate for their Covid vaccine. I hope this means that in the early part of the new year vaccines will slowly start being made available. This week I was fortunate to get myself the flu vaccination. I don7t normally take them but this year I thought it would be particularly important.

I took my 86 year old mother in law with me. Flu vaccines are in short supply at the moment (I guess everyone is thinking the same way!) and I was lucky to get it at the hospital when I went. My husband went a day later and they were already out of stock.

 

After a long gap due to the coronavirus pandemic, Karachi’s most picturesque gallery, the Mohatta Palace opened its doors to the public for a grand exhibition.

The exhibition was entitled GAJ: Colours of the Rainbow. Mohatta Palace was built in the tradition of the stone palaces of Rajasthan (India) using pink Jodhpur stone in combination with the local yellow stone from near Karachi.

The “Gaj” is the style of very intricate embroidery unique to every part of Pakistan. It is known by different names in different provinces of the country.

The focus on embroidery on the handcrafted garment however is important as an adornment as well as in establishing individual and group identity.

There were 60 pieces on display and some exhibits dated back over a hundred years or more. Sadly no photography was allowed inside the museum but I managed to capture the beautiful building from outside.

This week I had a socially distanced dinner at home for my husband’s work colleagues. Since the weather has become much cooler we were able to sit outside in the garden and sat around the dinner table for our meal but with chairs places further away than usual.

I am really enjoying the cool morning and evening breeze these days and seeing my new perennials being planted in my garden.

Since winters in Karachi are relatively mild, it is the best time of the year to plant flowers and vegetables. Every day I go outside and pluck fresh rocket leaves for my salads and find solace in the simple day to day pleasures.

 

I wish all of you well and hope the next week passes peacefully.