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Schools and universities reopen in Pakistan

15 September 2020 16:56 (UTC +04:00)

Universities, colleges and high school classes have resumed across Pakistan this morning after a six-month closure, APA reports citing BBC.

This is the first of a three-phase reopening of the educational institutions the government announced recently. Middle school classes will resume on 23 September, and if all goes well, nursery and primary school classes will resume on 30 September.

The government has issued a list of safety measures the schools need to adopt strictly, warning that any failure to comply may cause another spike in virus transmission.

The measures include face masks for students and school staff, regular sanitising of all premises, ensuring physical distance of two meters, and provision of hand sanitisers in classrooms.

Educational institutions in Pakistan were ordered closed on 15 March when Covid-19 was peaking.

But the curve has tapered off since July and the decision to reopen schools comes at a time when average daily deaths due to Covid-19 have fallen below 10 and the average daily incidence of infections has fallen below 500.

Wedding halls in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been given the green light to re-open under a strict safety regime.