Pakistan VC committee convenes moot to discuss strategies amid COVID-19 resurgence

ISLAMABAD: Increasing number of COVID-19 cases in universities have raised concerns for the administration who have convened a joint session for tomorrow to deliberate over the matter, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The vice-chancellors (VC) of all universities across Pakistan, within there Vice-Chancellors Committee, will meet via a video link tomorrow to attend the session scheduled to discuss a number of possible strategies to counteract novel coronavirus spread.

One of the possible options up for moot tomorrow is declaring a lockdown in the campuses again, among other less direct ones such as disinfecting the premises and ensuring the stricter COVID-19 SOPs.

The huddle, chaired by VC Committee chairman Dr Ali, is likely to discuss, among the aforementioned concerns, a number of issues the universities are facing at the moment.

READ: HEC clarifies regarding closure of universities amid virus resurgence

It is pertinent to note that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) refuted “fake news” circulating on social media that it had announced the closure of the institutes across the country due to Covid-19 resurgence.

The HEC in its statement said that it had not announced the closure of education institutes, following the government warned of a second coronavirus wave in Pakistan.

The HEC, in a tweet, said: “Attention Students!! HEC has not issued direction for the closure of universities.”

“There is no direction from HEC for the closure of universities. Each institution will decide to operate or close as per its specific situation,” the statement further added.

The HEC has also issued policy guidelines for all universities to cope with the Covid-19 crisis.