ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mehmood announced on Wednesday that schools in seven cities of Punjab and Islamabad will be closed from March 15 amid rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
The education minister made the announcement at a press conference, flanked by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr.Faisal Sultan, after a meeting held by the National Command and Operations Centre to review the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Educational institutes will be closed in Punjab’s Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Gujrat, Multan, Rawalpindi and Sialkot, and federal capital till March 28.
However, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, 50% of the attendance will be observed in educational institutions as the coronavirus situation seems to be under control. Nevertheless, in Muzaffarabad, the decision will be taken by the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier today, minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar presided over a meeting arranged at NCOC where the updated course of action was discussed. The meeting was also attended by all the provincial education ministers.