KP govt orders closure of educational institutions

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday decided to close down all educational institutions in the public and private sector for an initial period of 15 days to prevent the possible outbreak of coronavirus in the province.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the special meeting of the provincial cabinet called to review preparations of the health and other relevant departments to deal with the challenge.

Speaking at the meeting, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said the provincial government was prepared to deal with the coronavirus. “Precautionary and preventive measures are the best way to be safe from the virus,” he added. He urged the public to restrict their social interaction and avoid community gatherings instead of getting panicked.

Talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Minister for Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Adviser to Chief Minister on Information Ajmal Wazir said that the chief minister directed the authorities concerned to launch a public awareness campaign on a massive scale using all the mediums of communication to educate the general public about the preventive measures and behaviour change to cope with the situation. Mahmood Khan pointed out that no confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in the province yet, but the provincial government would not compromise on preventive and precautionary measures. The meeting was briefed on the latest situation concerning coronavirus in the province, the number of suspected cases and measures taken so far to deal with any emergency. While expressing its satisfaction over the preparations and arrangements made so far, the cabinet stressed the need for further improvements on a daily basis. The cabinet decided to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities both in the public and private sector, closed for an initial period of 15 days. The meeting also decided to ban gathering of more than 50 persons in official activities. Taking a lead for implementing the decision, the chief minister announced to postpone his pre-scheduled engagements in his constituency in Swat. Mahmood Khan directed the provincial ministers and MPAs to play an effective role in creating public awareness about coronavirus in their respective constituencies. The cabinet exempted the Health Department from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules for purchase of required medicines and equipment on emergency basis.