Punjab’s Minister for Public Health, Dr. Yasmin Rashid has ordered strict adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the coronavirus pandemic. She also warned that schools and colleges that fall short of the government-backed plan of action for the pandemic will be shut down. While discussing the impact of the coronavirus on gatherings for various functions across Lahore, Dr. Yasmin Rashid urged everyone to act responsibly. She deplored the rate at which the virus is spreading in the provincial capital which has significantly higher statistics of infections as compared to other areas of the province. Schools and colleges resumed regular classes for the students of Grades 9 to 12 on Monday after an interlude of two months. A new timeline for the reopening of the educational institutes has been devised following a high-level meeting at the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC). Unlike during the first wave of the pandemic, the federal and provincial governments have decided that students will not be promoted to the next sessions unless they pass the examinations this time. The federal government has also rescheduled regular classes for Grades 1 to 8 from 25 January to 1 February 2021.
