PESHAWAR: Educational institutions across the country have resumed “normal classes” from today [October 11] after a significant declined in Covid-19 cases.
The decision to resume classes in schools, colleges and universities across Pakistan with 100 per cent attendance was taken by National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), last week. For almost a year, because of the Covid-19 spread, attendance at educational institutions, especially schools, was reduced to half of the total number of students.
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Federal minister for planning Asad Umar tweeted on Thursday that “After the significant reduction in Coronavirus cases, it has been decided to resume normal classes after the launch of the school vaccination program.” While some praised the decision, there were others who continued to express concerns about children’s health.
The NCOC on 11 October reported 28 deaths and 1,004 more cases of coronavirus in the proceeding 24 hours. The NCOC said that 1,254 patients also recovered from the infection while the positivity rate has reduced to 2.31%. The NCOC said that the virus has so far killed 28,134 patients across Pakistan.
The NCOC has made it mandatory for students 12 years and above to get Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination. The school administration has been directed not to allow students to school without vaccination cards. Monitoring teams at provincial and district level will ensure implementation of SOPs.
Meanwhile, after Covid-19, the Islamabad district administration said that the dengue virus is spreading fast in federal capital Islamabad. According to District Health Officer Zaeem Zia, 78 citizens were affected by dengue in the last 24 hours in Islamabad with 46 cases reported from rural areas and 32 from urban areas. According to the District Health Officer (DHO), 1229 people are currently suffering from dengue in Islamabad out of which 817 are in rural areas and 412 in urban areas. DHO warned that dengue was on the rise in the suburbs of Islamabad too.