Punjab mulling complete lockdown
A Punjab cabinet meeting chaired by Law Minister Raja Basharat is considering a complete province-wide lockdown after the National Command and Operations Center noted a “slight” surge in the positivity ratio and fresh cases, particularly in Sindh, despite improvements in the recovery rate and fall in death rate. The cabinet issued directives to the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department to create new safety protocols and awareness campaigns in response to a possible second COVID-19 wave.
No intention to close schools: Shafqat Mahmood
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood reiterated during a press briefing the government has no intention to close schools, discounting rumours of schools being ordered closed on October 15. He asserted that education is the government’s top priority in the post-coronavirus situation, and that bringing nearly 20 million out-of-school Pakistani children back into enrolment poses a significant challenge.
Meanwhile, the Margalla College in F-7/4, Islamabad Model College for Girls in F-7/4 and a girls’ college in F-7/2 in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) were closed after three cases were detected from each institution via randomized sampling. Five students of Nawaz Sharif Medical College (NSMC) and three students enrolled in a government in Channi Hafiz village in Gujrat also emerged positive for the novel coronavirus disease.