NCOC extends closure of educational institutions

ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) – Pakistan’s nerve centre to control the Covid-19 pandemic – has decided to extend the closure of all educational institutions till September 15 in districts with high coronavirus prevalence, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The decision was taken in an NCOC meeting held in Islamabad on Thursday with Planning Minister Asad Umar in the chair.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) also decided to extend a number of additional non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in districts with high coronavirus prevalence in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad for a week.

In a notification issued, the NCOC said the restrictions enforced till September 12 have been extended till September 15 in 15 districts of Punjab; Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Khanewal, Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan; eight districts of KP; Peshawar, Swabi, Malakand, Swat, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Dera Ismail Khan; and Islamabad.

NPIs enforced till 12th Sep in 24 high disease districts of Punjab, KP and ICT have been extended till 15th Sep 21. Review will be carried out on 15th Sep. pic.twitter.com/VfxpqQqwZA

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) September 9, 2021

Under the restrictions, all types of outdoor and indoor gatherings and intercity public transport will be banned while indoor gyms and educational institutions will remain closed.

Separately today, the NCOC team along with Assistant Commissioners Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) on Thursday visited various areas of the city to check the compliance of COVID-19 Standards Operating Procedures (SOPs) in educational institutions.

NCOC team along with concerned Assistant Commissioners visited the areas including Badia Mera G-15, G-11, H-8, Bhara Kahu.

AC’s concerned sealed and imposed fines on the private sector schools in various areas for opening their institutions despite clear closing instructions.

As many as 84 deaths and 4,062 cases were reported during the previous 24 hours, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19 on Thursday.

It said the nationwide death toll rose to 26,497 after 84 more people died of the viral disease.