Education ministers to decide on closure of schools today

ISLAMABAD: As the coronavirus cases rise and the government mulls strategies to curb the virus’ spread, the virtual meeting of education ministers of the Centre, provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will be held today (Monday) with Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood in the chair.
The meeting will discuss a spike in coronavirus cases in the country and time frame of extended winter vacation for schools and colleges.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has recommended early and extended winter vacations blamed the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – an alliance of Opposition parties – for “deliberately endangering lives and livelihoods” by holding jalsas across the country with coronavirus cases in Pakistan on the rise. “If [coronavirus] cases continue to rise at the rate we are seeing, we will be compelled to go into complete lockdown and the PDM will be responsible for [the] consequences,” he tweeted.
Reiterating his often-repeated stance, the Premier told the opposition parties that he would not grant them an NRO (national reconciliation ordinance) even if they hold “a million jalsas”.
“Opposition is callously destroying people’s lives & livelihoods in their desperation to get an NRO. Let me make it clear: they can hold a million jalsas but will not get any NRO,” he tweeted.
The Prime Minister said that the second Covid-19 spike in Pakistan is of great concern as the number of patients on ventilators has increased during the last 15 days. He said that utilisation of ventilator facility has increased 200 percent in Peshawar and Multan, 148 percent in Karachi, 114 percent in Lahore and 65 percent in Islamabad.
The Prime Minister said across the world, there is a second spike and most of the countries have imposed complete lockdown. – TLTP