ISLAMABAD: The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad Monday was temporarily closed following the emergence of five Covid-19 positive cases. The District Health Officer (DHO) issued a notice regarding sealing the relevant departments, and taking precautionary measures in classes and cafes and the campus to prevent further spread of the virus.

According to the notice, the SOPs must be implemented in the departments that have not been sealed, whereas, people who came in contact with those affected should stay in quarantine. The QAU vice chancellor said that the university had been closed down for a day.

However, a final decision on sealing the university will be made later today. The federal capital's district administration has so far sealed 49 educational institutes after coronavirus cases were reported.

On October 22, academic activities at the Fazaia Medical College Air University in Islamabad were suspended for over a week after it reported eight cases of coronavirus. According to a notification issued by the varsity's administration, the university was to remain closed from October 22 to November 1.

"Students in their final year of MBBS will stay home to avoid interacting with others to control the spread of the virus," the notification read. The administration further instructed students to stay at home, strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and avoid roaming in public.

Routine academic activities will resume on November 2, and students will continue their training from when they stopped on October 21, the notification stated. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan, during past 24 hours have tested 707 more people Covid positive after the tests of 26,492.

According to the latest statistics, the virus claimed lives of three more people during the last twenty-four hours. The figure of patients recovered from the virus has reached 311,075. There are now 10,788 active cases in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020