PESHAWAR: Punjab Education Minister Murad Rass said on Monday that 12-year-old unvaccinated students will not be allowed to attend school due to sharp rise in Coronavirus cases.
Speaking at a press conference, the minister said that the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting discussed the situation caused by the virus. He informed that it was decided that schools, up to 8th grad, will remained open but with 50 percent attendance while 12-year-old students will not be allowed to attend schools until, they get vaccinated.
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The education minister said that it has been decided that no school will be closed as the students have already suffered a lot because of almost two years schools closures. However, he said that if the Covid-19 situation further intensifies, the classes will continue in phase-manner. The minister said the schools will remain open for students from Matric to Intermediate as they have been administrated both doses. The students have to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs).
The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) on Sunday reported 4,340 new cases and 7 deaths in the past 24 hours. The committee said that 49,809 tests were performed and positivity ratio of 8.71% was recorded. The NCOC said that currently there are 35,982 active cases of the virus in Pakistan, of which 781 are in critical condition. The report said that more than 500 doctors and paramedics have also contracted the virus during the current wave. The KP has not confirmed any new Omicron cases on 16 Jan.
The federal ministry of education had convened the meeting of provincial education ministers to today take final decision regarding the closure of educational institutions after the increase in Covid-19 cases.