NCOC to discuss schools closure, exams today

According to details, the meeting would be chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar in Islamabad.

Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood and Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor ul Haq Qadri will also attend the summit.

The meeting would also review the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the holy month of Ramadan in the light of the suggestions of religious scholars.

Earlier, the government ordered educational institutions in 18 districts to remain closed until April 11.

The districts where schools closed include Lahore, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujrat, Multan and Faisalabad.

On March 10, the federal government had announced a two-week Spring Break in Islamabad, Peshawar and seven Punjab cities where a sharp surge in infections was reported.

Meanwhile, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced the closure of schools till class eight for fifteen days amid surge in Covid-19 cases in the province.

Today, Pakistan reported 3,953 new Covid-19 cases and 103 deaths, with authorities linking the uptick in numbers to the third wave of the deadly outbreak across the country.

As per NCOC, the total number of confirmed cases reached to 696,184. As many as 618,158 patients have recovered from the disease with 3,645 critical cases.