The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) has issued guidelines to immediately close O- and A-level classes and regular academic sessions from 9th to 12th grade in private schools due to the increase in COVID-19 cases.
The NCOC ordered the closure of educational institutions amid a renewed spike in COVID-19 cases across the country. The center ordered educational institutions to suspend physical classes for grades 9, 10, 11, 12, O, and A levels. It has enabled the institutions to continue teaching online to students.
The NCOC instructed all private schools to strictly adhere to Standard Operating Instructions (SOPs) against COVID-19 during the O and A Level exams.
In addition, three to five members are admitted to private schools from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
As the country fights with all its might against the third wave of the global pandemic, which is increasingly worrying governments with mutated variants and a higher incidence of infections, the university authorities in Punjab closed universities in at least 25 districts of the province on Saturday.
As the infection situation worsened in the third wave of the pandemic, the department had decided to completely close all universities that fall under the jurisdiction of at least 25 districts.
The notice published for this purpose said that today the 9th to 12th grades in the above districts will be completely closed with immediate effect and for an indefinite period of time. That means there won’t be any classes or exceptions at all.
The decision was made for districts with a covid infection rate of more than 5 percent, the statement said.
In the districts, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Okara, Kasur and Toba Tek Singh, all schools and universities will be closed until further notice.
It should be noted here that the meeting of the National Command Operations Center (NCOC), led by Asad Umar, had warned of closures in high-risk cities if the COVID-19 situation worsened.
