Sindh to hold consultations before allowing resumption of normal classes

• Sindh to deliberate over NCOC directives to allow resumption of regular classes.
• Provincial government to discuss situation with representatives of educational institutes.
• A decision is expected in the coming days.

KARACHI: The Sindh government will hold consultations with the representatives of educational institutes before allowing regular classes as earlier directed by the country’s apex COVID-19 body.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), on Thursday, had decided to resume classes at 100% capacity after reviewing the latest pandemic situation in the country where a major decline has been seen in the COVID-19 numbers over the last few weeks.

“Based on the reduced level of disease spread and the launch of the school vaccination program, it has been decided in today’s NCOC meeting to allow all educational institutions to start normal classes from Monday the October 11,” Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar had tweeted.

According to report in The News, the Sindh government has been considering to let schools operate as they would do in normal circumstances after the NCOC directives.

The provincial government, the publication said, would also hold meetings with representatives of educational institutions for this.

Officials said the Sindh government is considering implementing the NCOC decision and it will hold meetings with representatives of educational institutes to discuss the SOPs that shall be observed to avert the spread of COVID-19.

The Sindh government is expected to issue an order on this in the coming days, it added.

Prior to the NCOC announcement, educational institutions were operating at 50% capacity across the country after they had reopened following intermittent closures due to the fourth COVID-19 wave.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has notified that all educational institutes will resume regular classes from Monday.

‘School children aged 12 and above must be fully vaccinated by Nov 30’

The government, meanwhile, has launched a coronavirus vaccination campaign for school children under which it is mandatory to get them fully vaccinated by November 30, Radio Pakistan had reported on Friday.

According to the national broadcaster, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan, while addressing a media briefing, said the campaign is targeted at school children aged 12 and above.

He said the government has made complete vaccination of children aged 12 and above mandatory by November 30, adding that mobile teams will be visiting educational institutes while Saturday has been fixed as a special day for the purpose.

Similarly, the last weeks of October and November have been fixed for the vaccination of students at their institutes.

Per Radio Pakistan, Dr Sultan urged parents to not hesitate in getting their children inoculated as the approved vaccines are safe. He said this is important to ensure their studies are not interrupted.

Dr Sultan further said the decision of allowing schools to resume normal classes from Monday has been taken "in view of [a] decrease in COVID-19 cases".

He said that so far, about 63 million people in the country have received at least one dose of the vaccine.