Prime Minister Imran Khan asked Pakistanis to prepare for a coronavirus epidemic in the country but ruled out locking down cities to fight the disease.

"I want to tell all of you, this virus will spread," Khan said in a televised address to the nation, his first on COVID-19. He said he was seeing a "state of panic" taking hold of the country but asked people to take precautions instead, Dawn.com reported. 

Seeking to reassure the public, Prime Minister Imran noted that while COVID-19 spreads rapidly, 97 percent of its patients make a full recovery. Of these, 90 percent people experience a mild illness similar to the flu, he added. But he said even if 4-5 percent of coronavirus patients out of thousands get critically ill, it will be a huge burden for healthcare facilities.

He lauded the Balochistan government and the Pakistan Army for their efforts to quarantine Pakistani pilgrims who returned from Iran "in very difficult conditions" and then dispatching them to various provinces.

He said it was suggested that Pakistan should follow some other countries in locking down its cities, but he said "Pakistan's [economic] situation is not the same as that of the United States or Europe. There is poverty in our country, with 25 percent of the people living in extreme poverty."

He said the national economy is recovering from a "very difficult time" and so it was decided not to lock down cities as that could result in people "dying from hunger". Instead, the government banned public gatherings, closed education institutions and formed a national coordination committee, the premier said.

Prime Minister Imran said the government alone cannot fight the "war" against coronavirus. "We have to win this war as a nation," he said, asking people to act responsibly.

"First of all, there is no reason to worry," he told the nation, urging them to take precautions.

But he said the "good news" was that China had nearly controlled the epidemic. Khan also urged ulema to "continuously counsel" people on what precautions to take and how to go through this "difficult period".