Pakistan to close educational institutions amid rising COVID-19 cases
CGTN

Pakistan on Monday decided to close educational institutions nationwide from November 26 to January 10 next year and halt all academic exams during the period following a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting with provincial education ministers, federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that the decision was made in the best interest of the country.

The students will continue their studies online till December 24, followed by winter vacations, and the school reopening is scheduled for January 10, according to the official.

The final decision to reopen schools in January will be based on an evaluation by related authorities, and if the coronavirus epidemic is under control, education activities will be resumed, according to the minister.

A worker disinfects the shoes of a student upon her arrival at a school, in Lahore, Pakistan, September 15, 2020. /AP

A worker disinfects the shoes of a student upon her arrival at a school, in Lahore, Pakistan, September 15, 2020. /AP

Local media reported that the COVID-19 infection ratio in schools has surged to over 3 percent from 1 percent previously during the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

It is the second time for Pakistan to close schools in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Classes were suspended nationwide from March 13 to September 15 during the first wave of the outbreak.

Pakistan has recently seen a spike in daily COVID-19 infections with the virus positivity rate surging to 7.46 percent on Sunday, a record daily high since July 22. The health ministry has advised the government to take tough decisions to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

According to the ministry, a total of 376,929 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, of whom 330,885 recovered and 7,696 died.

The country currently has 38,348 active cases mostly held in home quarantine, with 1,677 patients in critical condition being treated in hospitals.

A teacher checks the body temperature of a student upon her arrival at a primary school, in Lahore, Pakistan, September 30, 2020. /AP

A teacher checks the body temperature of a student upon her arrival at a primary school, in Lahore, Pakistan, September 30, 2020. /AP

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency