Punjab health dept recommends early, extended winter vacations for schools

LAHORE: Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Department has recommended early and extended winter vacations for schools across the province from next week amid rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country.

The recommendation to close schools in Punjab was announced during an Anti-Corona meeting of the Cabinet Committee which was presided over by provincial law minister Raja Basharat.

Read more: Winter vacations in Balochistan schools from Dec 1.

However, the Punjab education minister Murad Raas has opposed the closure of all educational institutions and suggested that a smart-lockdown strategy should be followed where only high-risk institutes are sealed.

“Closing educational institutions alone will not help in controlling the second Covid-19 wave as no one is following coronavirus guidelines in markets and recreational spots,” he told the meeting.

Furthermore, he emphasized that private schools were not providing accurate data on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases being reported at their institutions.

Moreover, the meeting decided on strict enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) while also launching a public campaign to raise awareness about the serious disease.

A meeting of all education ministers has been scheduled for November 23rd after they failed to reach a decision on the matter of early and extended winter vacations across the country at their previous meetup.

Read more: Decision on closure of schools, winter vacations in Pakistan deferred.

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