ISLAMABAD: The federal government is mulling over schools’ closure for children under the age of 12 years, as they are yet to be vaccinated, Parliamentary Secretary on Health Dr Nausheen Hamid said Tuesday.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’, Dr Hamid said the government does not plan on closing schools where children above 12 years, staff, and teachers have been vaccinated.
Dr Hamid said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) — the forum leading the country's pandemic response — is devising a strategy to keep checks and balances on public gatherings, which are a major reason for the spread of the virus. It will be formulated in a day or two, she said.
Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio reached 9.45% in the last 24 hours after the country reported 5,034 new cases, according to the NCOC’s Tuesday morning data.
The parliamentary secretary said there is no need to impose blanket restrictions across the country and curbs will only be enforced where the positivity ratio is high — with Karachi at the top.
"Public gatherings will definitely be suspended in these cities and criteria is being set for it [...] the NCOC will have a strategy formulated in two to three days," Dr Hamid said. The data suggests that wedding are one of the major reasons behind the spread of coronavirus and the government will "definitely" have to ban indoor weddings in high positivity ratio areas. "[NCOC] might allow outdoor weddings with some restrictions. At the moment, we are collecting data and a decision will be made after consultation with all provinces," she added.