Covid surge: Decisions regarding educational institutions’ closure, restrictions likely today
NCOC is likely to take important decisions regarding closure of educational institutions and tougher restrictions amid a massive spike in Covid-19 cases fuelled by Omicron variant.
ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) is likely to take important decisions regarding the closure of educational institutions and tougher restrictions today amid a massive spike in Covid-19 cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.
The NCOC is going to hold an important meeting of education and health ministers today to mull over recommendations for non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), closure of educational institutions especially schools and colleges, tougher restrictions for the general public and transport sector and others.
Today’s meeting has been summoned after reviewing the massive spike in Covid-19 cases across Pakistan in the previous session of the NCOC.
The rising trend of coronavirus cases had been discussed in the previous session to contain the spread of the virus, especially in urban centres as the positivity rate skyrocketed over 40 per cent in Karachi.
Alarm as Covid positivity rate reaches 35.3 per cent in Karachi
In the latest session, the centre will engage with provinces to take stricter measures for containing the spread of the disease.
Further measures will be discussed in the meeting to impose a complete ban on in-flight meal services from January 17 and onwards after issuance of orders to the aviation authority and public transport to strictly implement the Covid standard operation procedures (SOPs) besides banning the meal and snacks services.
The centre had also issued directives to authorities to expedite the vaccination drive.
Positivity rate today
Pakistan’s positivity rate of COVID-19 cases has reached 8.71 per cent today after the detection of 4340 new infections and seven deaths during the past 24 hours, whereas, the number of critical patients also increased up to 781.
Statistics 17 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 49,809
Positive Cases: 4340
Positivity %: 8.71%
Deaths :7
Patients on Critical Care: 781— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 17, 2022
IPEMC session, Shafqat Mahmood’s Covid-positive
To discuss the closure of educational institutions, a session of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) had been summoned on January 13, however, it was postponed and later it was learnt that Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tested positive for Covid again.
Important decisions were likely to be taken in the IPEMC’s 34th session today as the participants will review the prevalent COVID situation in the country with respect to educational institutions in the presence of all education ministers.
IPEMC session to deliberate on closure of educational institutions postponed
The items on the agenda had included the interprovincial consultation for timely provision of quality textbooks in the academic year 2022, interprovincial coordination regarding the timely provision of NOCs for textbooks and any other agenda with the permission of the chair.
In view of the surge in COVID cases, the federal government had earlier ruled out any possibility of imposing another lockdown in the country and it is likely that IPEMC would also go in favour of the continuation of regular classes.
