NCOC to meet on Monday with focus on schools amid upward Covid-19 trend

ISLAMABAD – The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Saturday sought new guidelines from health and education ministers as the fifth wave of the coronavirus continues to intensify due to the Omicron variant in Pakistan.

The meeting will be held on January 17, with its focus on schools and the education sector as a whole, public gatherings, marriage ceremonies, indoor/outdoor dining, and the transport sector.

The development came during a session of the NCOC, which was held to review the coronavirus situation in the country as the positivity ratio was recorded above 8%.

The forum decided to extensively engage with provinces, especially with the Sindh government, to take necessary measures to tackle the increasing infection rate in the country.

Furthermore, the NCOC announced to impose a complete ban on inflight serving of meals and snacks with effect from January 17. It also banned serving meals and snacks in public transport

The NCOC has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ensure the implementation of COVID-19 SOPs at all airports.