Pakistan on Monday announced the closure of all educational institutions for more than a month as a second wave of coronavirus sweeps through the country and places further burdens on the fragile health care system.
From Wednesday, all schools, colleges, universities and Islamic seminaries would be closed until January 10, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said in the capital Islamabad.
Educational institutions would switch to online classes in the month before the December 25-January 10 holiday period, the minister said.
The closure comes on the heels of a government decision last month to reintroduce some restrictions, like the mandatory wearing of face masks and putting virus hotspots under lockdown.
More than 2,700 new infections and 34 death were reported in Pakistan on Sunday, according to official statistics.
Some 7.4 per cent of people tested on Sunday have returned with a positive result, compared to less than 1 per cent in July.
Nearly 377,000 people have been infected so far, with around 7,800 deaths, according to the national statistics.
At least 75 doctors and paramedics were found infected in the north-western city of Peshawar and hospitals in Islamabad were turning back patients being brought for critical support.
The situation in crowded cities with massive populations, like the southern metropolis of Karachi with around 20 million inhabitants, are particularly at risk, according to the Pakistan Medical Association.
