Sindh announces to keep educational institutes closed till Aug 19

Decides to conduct exams from August 10th; mulls extending business hours, reopening outdoor dining, gatherings

KARACHI:

The Sindh government announced on Sunday to keep provincial educational institutions of the province closed till August 19 in view of the Delta variant's surge.

The announcement was made by provincial education minister Sardar Ali Shah during a meeting of the department held in Karachi today.

According to Shah, exams that had been postponed earlier will now be held from August 10. He added that the provincial authorities will ensure that educational and other staff of the institutes are vaccinated.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Universities and Education Boards Ismail Rahu said Intermediate exams were earlier postponed due to the lockdown, adding that now the meeting has decided to keep the institutes closed till the 10th of Muharram.

Rahu further stated that the remaining exams of the education boards will be conducted till the sixth of Muharram.

Read Sindh confirms over 2,300 Covid infections

Meanwhile, the Sindh government, on the advice of the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), has relaxed the Covid-19 restrictions put in place to stem the spread of coronavirus amid the fourth wave of the pandemic fuelled by the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

A notification issued by the provincial home department on Sunday evening said that markets and business activities can continue till 8pm instead of 6pm. It said that the ban on indoor dining would continue however, outdoor dining will be allowed under strict Covid-19 protocol till 10pm. "Take away and home delivery are allowed 24/7," it added.

The provincial government banned indoor weddings with effect from Monday. However, it allowed outdoor weddings with a maximum of 300 guests under the strict implementation of Covid standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The notification said that the closure of shrines and cinemas would continue in the province whereas the ban on contact sports would also be maintained.

Read more: Sindh relaxes Covid-19 restrictions on NCOC’s advice

It said that the routine work would continue in public and private sector offices. However, attendance would be reduced from 100 per cent to 50 per cent.

It further said that all amusement parks, water sports and swimming pools will remain closed in the province. However, it added that public parks can remain open under strict Covid protocols.

On Saturday, the NCOC announced that the lockdown in the province would be lifted from Monday despite the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country particularly in Sindh.

In a joint session held in Karachi, it was also decided that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) issued by the NCOC for the top 13 cities with high disease prevalence, including Karachi and Hyderabad, would be enforced.