ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre has issued fresh directives regarding the reopening of educational institutions in areas with over five percent positivity rate, reports said Saturday.
According to a communique issued to the federal and provincial governments, the NCOC directed to avoid reopening of educational institutes in such areas on May 24 as scheduled.
“The concerned authorities should be issued directives in this regard by the provinces,” it said while clarifying that schools, colleges, and universities will only be opened in areas with less than five percent contagion rate as decided during an NCOC meeting.
The educational institutes in hotspots will remain shut until June 6 and a meeting to review the decision and reopening of schools and colleges will be held on June 3, the letter read.
Some 52 districts including federal and provincial capitals of the country have been reporting over five percent of positivity ratio, a report read.
In Punjab, 20 districts registered an over five percent positivity rate, followed by 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 of Sindh, four in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and one in Balochistan.
Islamabad has also reported a positivity ratio of over five percent, a benchmark set by the NCOC to be achieved before lifting Covid-related restrictions.
All districts of Karachi have witnessed over five percent positivity rate, followed by Hyderabad, Badin, Dadu, Jamshoro, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and other districts.
In Punjab, Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Multan, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Okara, Sargodha, and other districts have reported higher positivity rate.
Peshawar, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Dir, Mardan, Nowshera, Swat are among the key districts of KP that have reported a higher ratio of Covid-19 cases.
