Educational institutions are not being closed, clears Mahmood despite resurge in COVID-19

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Monday clarified that educational institutions are ‘not’ being closed despite second coronavirus wave in the country.

The minister made the announcement via tweet, stating: "Rumours again afloat regarding school closures. It is again clarified that educational institutions are NOT being closed."

He added that the government will continue to monitor the health of students, teachers and school staff "but at the moment no such decision (about closing schools or educational institutions) has been made".

Mahmood's tweet comes a day after country reported 1,123 new Covid-19 cases, highest single-day rise since July 26.

Pakistan's positivity rate surged past 4% on Sunday - the highest since August. At least 12 people succumbed to the virus.

So far, Sindh has reported 146,774 cases, Punjab 104,554, KP 39,649 and Balochistan has recorded 15,954 infections. Similarly, Islamabad has reported 20,089 cases, Azad Kashmir 4,237, and Gilgit-Baltistan has confirmed 4,279 cases.