Students, LEAs given Aug 31 deadline for vaccination; 4,497 new cases,76 deaths reported
Staff Reporter Islamabad
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Thursday said that closing down entire cities for weeks was not the solution to curbing the spread of the disease.
Pakistan is currently experiencing a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic that has seen the number of infections as well as fatalities jump up steadily across the country, but particularly in Karachi and Sindh, where the provincial government is reportedly mulling a complete lockdown.
Briefing the media alongside Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan after a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre, the minister said that Pakistan was among the world’s first few countries to realise that closing down the country was not an effective way to battle the pandemic.
The minister also announced that the NCOC has decided to set an August 31 vaccination deadline for “high risk” sectors.
He said that students above 18 years of age, those working in the transport sector, public sector employees, law enforcement agencies, and staff working at hotels, restaurants, wedding halls, shopping malls and banks will have to get inoculated by August 31.
Meanwhile, teachers will have to get vaccinated by August 1 to continue working at educational institutions. He added that those who have not been vaccinated will also not be allowed to undertake domestic air travel.
