NCOC defers decision on closure of educational institutes

ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) recently deferred the decision to close schools in the country amid the fifth wave of COVID-19. 

A statement issued after the NCOC meeting informed, “Decision about educational institutions will be taken on statistics of positive cases of various institutions for which immense testing in educational institutions is being carried out.” 

The NCOC examined the epidemic curve chart data, national vaccine design and disease prevalence across the nation and determined to execute new protocols in cities with a 10 per cent and above positivity rate. 

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The session was chaired by Asad Umar, Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives. Major-General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, National Coordinator, NCOC, and Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health, attend the meeting virtually. 

The provincial health and education ministers also participated in the meeting virtually and informed about implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and SOPs of COVID-19 in the wake of a spike in instances. 

In addition, international and regional tendencies of the Omicron variant were also debated during the session, which was convened after the nationwide positivity ratio augmented to an alarming level. 

“Keeping in view prevalence of new disease, a fresh set of NPIs was exemplified and conferred with provinces,” the NCOC statement said, adding the provinces would enforce the new set of NPIs in the next 48 hours after the consultative approach with all stakeholders.