Sindh government suspends five schools' registration for remaining open despite coronavirus outbreak

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday suspended the registrations of five schools for remaining open despite the government's orders to close schools amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The action was taken by Registrar Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh (Dirpis), Rafia Javed after five schools were found guilty of violating the provincial government's directives of closing schools amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

Pakistan recorded its third death from the coronavirus with the nationwide tally at 478 after Punjab reported 16 new cases in the province.

Javed, acting on complaints received against schools, not only suspended their registration but wrote a letter to the education secretary asking for action to be taken against the administrations of the particular schools. 

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So far, registrations of seven schools have been suspended for going against the government's directives, she said.

Karachi reports first coronavirus death

Earlier in the day, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed the death of a 77-year-old COVID-19 patient in Karachi.

The minister said the patient was was a cancer survivor and had diabetes and hypertension when he contracted the virus. She added that the patient did not have any travel or contact history.

Earlier this week, two patients from KP who tested positive for the coronavirus had died, officials said. The patient from Sindh who passed away today was the first death in the province from local transmission of the virus.

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The third death from the coronavirus was reported as the total cases of the virus in the country rose to more than 450 on Friday, after new ones emerged in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

Sindh is the most affected province of all with 238 confirmed cases of the virus. Punjab has reported 96 cases, KP 23, Baochistan 81, Islamabad 7, and GB has reported 21 confirmed cases.

Globally, 176 countries have been affected, more than 10,000 people have died and more than 234,000 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories. The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases every day.