In a recent meeting of the provincial Coronavirus Task Force, the Sindh government decides to shut down all educational institutions until further notice. The meeting was chaired by Sindh’s Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The Sindh government spokesperson, Murtaza Wahab announced in a tweet that the Sindh government has decided to shut down all educational institutes including schools, colleges, and universities.
“All schools, colleges, and universities shall also remain closed due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases,” said Wahab.
All #SindhGovt offices shall operate with an essential staff of 20% only. All schools, colleges & universities shall also remain closed due to the rising number of #COVID19 cases
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) April 26, 2021
The decision came as Pakistan experiences a raging surge in Covid with Sindh reporting 279000 cases.
Read more: COVID-19 cases soar to new daily high in Pakistan
70 more people have died in Pakistan as the new deaths took the nationwide COVID-19 death toll to 17,187, while over 4,800 new infections have been reported across the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data showed.
As per the official data, 50,161 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, from which 4,825 tests returned positive.
With the high number of cases, the Sindh government has decided to close down all schools until further notice.
Previously, schools in Sindh were operating on a partial basis with classes being conducted for higher secondary grades regularly, but as COVID cases increased, the complete shutdown of all educational institutions was mandated.
While schools shut down across provinces, exams are being held as per schedule despite student protests.
Read more: Shafqat Mahmood slams fake image of Cambridge examinations in Pakistan
Other restrictions
In the provincial Coronavirus Task Force meeting, further restrictions were also decided. The spokesperson for the Sindh chief minister said that all government offices in the province will remain closed.
“Secretaries will call in their essential staff while the rest will work from home,” he said.
* سندھ میں سرکاری دفاتر بند کرنے کا فیصلہ
* باقی تمام آفیس اسٹاف گھروں سے کام کرینگے، ترجمان وزیراعلیٰ سندھ
* سیکریٹریز اپنے ضروری اسٹاف کو بلائیں گے
عبدالرشید چنا
ترجمان وزیراعلیٰ سندھ— Sindh Chief Minister House (@SindhCMHouse) April 26, 2021
During the meeting, it was decided that indoor and outdoor dining would be banned at restaurants and only takeaway/delivery will be permitted.
Shopping centers will also close down at 6 pm. “If cases continue to increase, then markets will be completely closed down,” the chief minister remarked during the meeting.
Furthermore, no visits will be allowed in jails, however, all hospitals will be exempt from all restrictions. Inter-city transport will also be closed down from April 29, but goods transport and industries will remain open.