Punjab Bans Unvaccinated Students From Attending Schools

Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas has said that unvaccinated students, who are eligible for vaccination, will no longer be allowed to attend schools as the country faces increasing number of COVID-19 cases, especially the new OMICRON variant.

During a press conference in Lahore on Monday, the Education Minister said that the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting had decided that educational institutions cannot be closed before imposing restrictions on other sectors as students have already suffered with their education.

He added that students below the age of 12 years will be allowed to attend schools with 50 percent attendance as they had not been vaccinated. The Punjab Education Minister has opposed the closure of schools in the province as students have already suffered during the pandemic.

It is pertinent to mention that the Government is mulling the closure of schools for children under the age of 12, who are yet to be vaccinated, revealed the Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Nausheen Hamid on Tuesday. It bears mentioning that number of COVID-19 cases are on a rise across the country.

Read more: Govt Considering to Close Schools For Students Under 12.

Murad Raas also mentioned that if the situation worsened then the authorities will take action accordingly. Meanwhile, the Education Minister said that the Government had stepped up the COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the province and 100 percent teachers have been vaccinated in the province.

He added that vaccination of Matric and Intermediate students had also been completed and they will continue to attend schools while adhering to the COVID-19 SOPs. However, the decision regarding closure of schools was postponed by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), who said that final decision will be taken after reviewing the positivity ratio in educational institutions.

Do you agree with the decision of the Punjab Government to ban unvaccinated students from attending schools? Let us know in the comments below.

Follow INCPAK on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram for updates.