ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry refuted lockdown rumors and reports of schools’ closure despite the Covid situation getting worrisome with each passing day.
Chaudhry on Tuesday said Pakistan would not experience another lockdown and rebuked reports of schools being closed amid an increase in the Covid cases fueled by the Omicron variant of the novel disease.
Speaking in a post-cabinet presser, the PTI minister said the federal cabinet was informed that covid-19 positivity rates had doubled in Pakistan over the last week, but despite this, it is our resolve that we absolutely not impose a lockdown as the economy cannot bear the burden.
Chaudhary however mentioned that the government will monitor the situation. He also urged the country’s people to use masks to curb the spread of the novel disease.
Earlier, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that he wants educational institutions to remain open but officials will decide on schools’ closure if the situation worsens.
He said the situation is different in every province at present and in general if the situation does not get worse then schools will not be closed. However, if there is any indication of any concern, we can also close schools again, he responded to a question.
Pakistan s Covid cases cross 2,000-mark for the first time since September 2021
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity rate continued to rise amid Omicron spread. Based on data collected by the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) Wednesday morning, the South Asian country reported more than 2,000 new Covid cases during the past 24 hours – the highest in nearly four months.
