Govt postpones all exams till June 15 as COVID-19 cases rise
Authorities impose a complete ban on tourism from May 8-16, including Eid Al Fitr holidays; PM urges nation to take precautionary measures; Pak faces vaccine shortage
In view of a worsening third coronavirus wave, all exams have been postponed till June 15, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood announced on Tuesday.
“We had decided during the last National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) meeting on April 18 that exams will proceed as scheduled. However, ater that, to date, the infection rate increased by a lot. Hence, one of the decisions we took today through consensus, was that all exams from today till June 15 will be cancelled,” Mehmood said.
“So if exams take place ater June 15, they may continue in July and even August,” the minister added.
The government has also imposed a complete ban on tourism from May 8-16, including during Eid Al Fitr holidays, in view of the increasing number of coronavirus cases.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday, travelling will be banned during the Eid holidays while all tourist resorts, hotels, restaurants, parks, other recreational places and shopping malls will remain closed.
According to the notification, inter-city and inter-provincial transport will be banned during the Eid holidays; however, locals especially of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) will be allowed to travel. The ministry further directed that routes leading to tourist spots will be closed with special focus on Murree, Galliyat, Swat-kalam, Sea View/beaches and Northern Areas.
The interior ministry has also directed to ensure timely issuance of Sops/guidelines for Itekaf, Shab-e-qadar, Jumma-tul-wda and Namaz-e-eid.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday has expressed concern over increasing cases of coronavirus across the country.
While presiding over the meeting of the federal cabinet, the premier has urged the masses to take precautionary measures to avoid contracting coronavirus. He has also directed the concerned authorities to ensure implementation of SOPS.
Meanwhile, the participants also discussed different strategies to control the third wave of the virus.
The 50,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for the COVID-19, which was commercially available in Pakistan, have been used and the 10,000 doses of single dose Convidecia of China will also run out.
Both the vaccines need to be imported more in the backdrop of an alarming number of coronavirus cases, but there is no timeframe as to when they would be available to those interested in privately acquiring them.
“Sputnik V vaccine is no more available in Pakistan as all its doses imported by us and supplied to major health facilities and institutions have been consumed. There may be some who would be waiting for their second dose but it is not available at the private vaccination centers anymore,” the AGP Pharma said.
Asked when they would be importing the next shipment, the company said they could not comment about the timing of the arrival of the next consignment.
The double-dose Sputnik V vaccine was being offered at Rs12,268 for the two doses at major health facilities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
On the other hand, 10,000 doses of singledose Chinese vaccine Convidecia by the Cansino
Biologics Inc, which were commercially imported by AJM Pharma, have been supplied to three major hospitals in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and would remain commercially available for a few more days, the importer said.
“We have supplied all the 10,000 doses of Cansino Biologics Convidecia vaccine to the health facilities. I think it is privately available at the Shifa International Hospital Islamabad while in a few days, it would be available at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Lahore and Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.”
The importer said they had provided the single-dose Chinese vaccine to hospitals where its phase-iii clinical trials were conducted and added that as the vaccine was imported in limited quantities, it would be consumed within days.
“The Convidecia vaccine would be supplied to more vaccination centres and facilities once we manage to get it in large quantities but that is not possible before Eid Al Fitr as there is an extreme shortage of Covid-19 vaccines around the globe.”