The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Task Force on COVID-19 on Tuesday decided to close schools in nine districts where the positivity rate jumped over 10 percent mark.

The development was made during the meeting chaired by the KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan where they reviewed the overall situation of the pandemic.

It has been decided to form a committee comprising members of the KP cabinet ahead of the expected closure of markets. The committee members include Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra, Shaukat Yousafzai and Kamran Bangash.

Moreover, they decided to close schools in nine districts including Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Malakand, Swat and Lower Dir.

During a briefing, the task force members were told that the current positivity rate of coronavirus cases stands at 1 per cent in southern districts.

KP CM Mahmood Khan said that the provincial authorities are taking necessary steps to curb the spread of the virus and asked the citizens to strictly follow the SOPs.