Sindh schools, educational institutions to reopen for classes 9 and above from tomorrow

• Schools, educational institutions for grades IX and above to reopen from tomorrow: Saeed Ghani. 
• All staff must get vaccinated, says Ghani. 
• Decision taken by Sindh Corona Task Force. 

KARACHI: Schools and educational institutions, for classes IX and above, will reopen from tomorrow (Monday), announced Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Sunday. 

"Sindh Corona Task Force has decided to reopen educational institutions of Sindh for class 9th and above from 7th June(tomorrow) with strict SOPs. All staff must be get vaccinated," he tweeted. 

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) had earlier issued instructions to keep all educational institutions in the province closed till June 7. 

Earlier today, the minister had said schools in Sindh will remain closed till further orders aren't issued from the provincial government, adding that the steering committee will hold a meeting within the next few days to decide on the matter. 

"Schools will remain closed not till June 7 but till further orders aren't issued from the government," he had said. 

The minister had said the steering committee will also finalise the examination schedule. 

Sindh will ease coronavirus restrictions if people get vaccinated: Pechuho

However, on Thursday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said the provincial government will not reopen schools till it was certain that coronavirus cases are on the decline.

"Schools will remain closed until we (the Sindh government) are certain that the numbers (of coronavirus cases) are decreasing and won't increase," she had said.

Pechuho had said that despite the efforts of the government, people are still hesitant to get themselves vaccinated.

The health minister had also said Sindh would ease restriction once people start getting themselves inoculated but said that the positivity ratio in Karachi was still high.

"The coronavirus positivity ratio in Karachi is still above 11%," Dr Pechuho had said, adding that Sindh is yet to see an improvement in this regard.

"Hospitals are still receiving coronavirus positive patients."

Speaking about the COVID-19 restrictions which are in place across Sindh at the moment, Dr Pechuho had said restrictions would only be eased when people will start getting themselves vaccinated.

"People aged 30 and above can now go to walk-in vaccination centres, while people aged 19 to 29 can now get themselves registered for the vaccine."

Shedding light on the arrangement that Sindh is making to inoculate people, Dr Pechuho said that the government has started negotiating with industrialists.

Recently, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani had also said matriculation and intermediate exams in Sindh would be held from July.