Islamabad schools may remain closed for an extended period: report

• Schools and educational institutions in Islamabad may remain closed for an extended period
• Govt has closed educational institutions and schools in seven cities of Punjab, Peshawar and Islamabad till March 28
• Some officials, however, are against extended closure of schools

ISLAMABAD: The closure of schools and other educational institutions in the city may be extended, as the coronavirus positivity ratio nears 10% and the UK variant of the virus showing no signs of slowing down.

Read more: Coronavirus: Schools in these cities of Punjab will close from Monday

Federal education officials have warned of schools across Islamabad remaining closed for in-person learning and other activities for an extended time period if the virus shows no signs of letting up, according to a report in The News.

The government has closed educational institutions in seven Punjab cities, Peshawar and Islamabad from March 15 to March 28 in light of a spike in COVID-19 incidence.

Read more: Schools to be closed from March 15 in several cities due to COVID-19 outbreak: Shafqat Mehmood

Some officials have said it is likely that the government would announce the resumption of in-person learning after Eid since Ramazan is expected to begin before the middle of next month (April).

"However, many at the helm of affairs opposed further school closures saying such a move means more learning losses for students. They rather recommend strict enforcement of physical distancing and use of masks on campus and vaccination of students against the virus," states the report.

A decision about the resumption of in-person classes will be taken by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country's nerve centre on tackling the virus, after consulting federal and provincial educational authorities.

Read more: COVID-19: Sports activities restricted at schools in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, 4 other cities

Educational institutions were closed across the country twice last year after Pakistan witnessed a rapid rise in coronavirus cases. In-person classes were suspended first in late February 2020 which later resumed in phases from September 15, 2020.

Later, the second wave of the virus triggered the closure of educational institutions from November 26, 2020, to January 18, 2021.