The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has rejected the reports of schools closure until 30 September.
The NCOC had to issue a clarification through Twitter after a fake tweet attributed to it went viral on social media on Monday.
The forum termed the forged screenshot that claimed schools closure from 6 to 30 September as ‘fake.’ It also claimed that the Federal Minister of Education, Shafqat Mahmood, had endorsed the NCOC’s decision.
“No such decision has been made,” the NCOC rebutted, asking people to refrain from spreading rumors.
This social media news regarding closure of education institutions from 6 to 30 Sep across the country is fake. No such decision made at NCOC. Please avoid rumors. pic.twitter.com/9T8DnQ9Grx
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) September 6, 2021
Note that no province other than Punjab has announced schools closure as it grapples with the fourth wave of the coronavirus. However, the closure, as announced by the provincial education minister, Dr. Murad Raas, is only for one week, from 6 to 11 September.
In a separate development, the NCOC has revised safety guidelines for Islamabad and several districts in Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) due to a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases.
Under new guidelines issued late on Sunday, the NCOC also banned all indoor and outdoor gatherings and events barring outdoor weddings, with a maximum of 300 guests.
The forum also suspended intercity public transport in districts with high positivity ratios.
Districts of Punjab affected by the decision are Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Faisalabad, Bhakkar, Gujarat, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, and Sheikhupura.
The districts of KP include Haripur, Malakand, Mansehra, Swabi, DI Khan, Swat, Abbottabad, and Peshawar.
As for Sindh, the new restrictions have been imposed in Karachi and Hyderabad only.
