ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ease coronavirus restrictions, the government on Thursday announced to restart regular five-day classes at schools from March 1.
In November, the government had shut schools and postponed exams to try to curb new infections and a rise in the number of people in hospitals with Covid-19 before opening them in phases earlier this month.
“All schools will go back to regular 5 day classes from Monday March 1,” Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood tweeted. “Restrictions imposed in some major cities on schools to conduct staggered classes was only till Feb 28.”
Important announcement. All schools will go back to regular 5 day classes from Monday March 1. Restrictions imposed in some major cities on schools to conduct staggered classes was only till Feb 28.
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) February 25, 2021
The government portal keeping track of the outbreak in Pakistan on Thursday reported 1,361 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 40,906 tests, receiving back a positivity ratio of 3.33 per cent.
Mahmood’s tweet comes a day after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said to have devised new rules after a “comprehensive review” of the coronavirus situation.
“Time-limit lifted from commercial activities and amusement parks, condition of 50% work from home removed,” NCOC said.
“Indoor wedding ceremonies will be allowed from 15th March 21 […] Indoor dining allowed from 15th March subject to the review on 10th March.”
The NCOC also allowed cinemas and shrines to reopen from March 15, with coronavirus guidelines in place.
“Wearing of masks, social distancing, smart lockdowns will continue and will be ensured,” the body said.
The NCOC also increased the number of spectators attending Pakistan Super League (PSL) pool matches to 50pc from the present 20pc and permitted full attendance during play-offs with stringent standard operating procedures.
However, these relaxations would be subject to review and may be reimposed should the positivity ratio rise once more.
Meanwhile, as many as 64 more patients died of coronavirus in Pakistan during the last 24 hours while 1,361 new virus cases emerged, PPI reported. The country-wide death toll from the virus has surged to 12,772 so far since the outbreak of the disease in February.
According to a Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination report issued on Thursday a total of 575,941 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus disease in the country since its outbreak in February 2020.
Out of this, 257,089 cases were in Sindh, 169,474 in Punjab, 19,010 in Balochistan, 71,490 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 43,901 in Islamabad, 4,955 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 10,022 in Azad Kashmir. However, 539,888 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
As many as 2.4 million new infections were reported globally which was an 11 per cent decline compared to the previous week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported. This marks the sixth consecutive week wherein the world witnessed a fall in the total number of cases.
“This brings the global cumulative numbers to 110.7m cases and over 2.4m deaths since the start of the pandemic,” the report read.
The government launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on February 3, with more than 400,000 doctors and frontline healthcare workers, teachers and social workers being covered in the first phase because they run the highest risk of exposure to the contagious disease.
As per the roll-out plan, the second phase, due to start from March 1, will focus exclusively on citizens over the age of 65, who generally face a higher mortality risk from the virus, and all remaining healthcare workers, while the general public would be accommodated in the third phase.
Pakistan received its first tranche of the Sinopharm jabs, given by China as a “gift”, earlier this month. The shipment marked the first shots to be imported into the country where more than 564,077 cases of the disease have been reported since the outbreak in February last.
In addition, the government is due to receive a further 1.1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine by the end of this month, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had announced in January.
