Educational institutions in Pak to resume normal operations from next week as Covid situation improves

The decision was taken at a meeting held by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the highest official anti-corona body.

"Based on the reduced level of disease spread and the launch of the school vaccination programme, it has been decided in today's NCOC meeting to allow all educational institutions to start normal classes from Monday the 11th of October," tweeted Minister for Planning Asad Umar, who is also the head of the NCOC.

Schools were closed in Pakistan for the first time in March 2020 soon after the pandemic broke out in the country, and later allowed to function with several restrictions, including half of the students attending the classes on alternative days.

The government's decision on Thursday coincided with the weakening of the fourth wave of the pandemic, which had hit the country in July.

Meanwhile, 1,453 new cases and 46 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide infection tally to 1,255,321 and total fatalities to 28,032, the health ministry said, adding that 1,182,894 people have fully recovered so far.

The positivity rate was 2.81 per cent, the ministry said.

So far over 3.16 crore people have been fully vaccinated and more than 6.20 crore partially vaccinated against the coronavirus in Pakistan. The government had announced that it was targeting to vaccinate at least 7 crore people by this year-end.