Punjab govt orders reopening of schools except Lahore, Multan divisions from Tuesday

Lahore: After air quality 'improved' in parts of Punjab, the Punjab government on Monday ordered the reopening of schools across the province sans Lahore and Multan divisions from November 19.

A notification was issued by the Punjab government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in this regard.

Per the notification, “The ambient air quality has improved in most districts of Punjab, due to rain in upper parts of Punjab, change in wind direction and speed. Therefore, all the educational institutions, except Lahore and Multan Divisions, shall be opened with effect from Nov 19 (Tuesday) with physical presence of students/staff.”

All students and staff will wear face masks and educational institutions will not open before 8:45am. A complete ban on outdoor sports along with extracurricular activities will be observed, while educational institutions would have to introduce class-wise school closing timings in separate intervals to avoid traffic congestion.

The Punjab School Education Department issued instructions to all chief executive officers to ensure compliance with the above directions.