ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operating Centre (NCOC) has denied rumours of closing schools from September 6 to 30, claiming the news is false.
The NCOC took to Twitter to refute rumours that claimed the closure of all public and private schools from September 6 to September 30 due to COVID-19 situation.
The “fake news” claim had also stated that the Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mehmood had approved of NCOC’s decision.
NCOC posted the screenshot of the fake news and wrote that “no such decision has been made.” The forum also advised people to refrain from spreading rumours.
Punjab announced the closure of schools from September 6 to September 11 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, however, news claims of schools being closed till September 30 all across the country were declared false by NCOC.
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
Earlier, the NCOC had revised COVID-19 safety guidelines for the federal capital and several districts in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In the newly-announced restrictions, the NCOC banned all indoor and outdoor gatherings and events. However, outdoor weddings with a maximum of 300 guests have been allowed. It has also restricted inter-city public transport in districts with high coronavirus positivity ratios.
The districts in Punjab included Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Faisalabad, Bhakkar, Gujarat, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, and Sheikhupura. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the selected districts included Haripur, Malakand, Mansehra, Swabi, DI Khan, Swat, Abbottabad, and Peshawar.
In Sindh, the Sindh Home Department also enforced additional guidelines according to NCOC recommendations. Hyderabad and Karachi are the two cities where the new restrictions were imposed.
