COVID-19: Sindh govt closes schools and indoor dinning from Friday

KARACHI: After rising COVID-19 cases in Sindh province specially in Karachi, the Sindh government has once again decided to close schools and impose ban on the indoor dinning.

The Sindh Chief Minister has taken these measures on Wednesday as COVID-19 cases spike in the province amid fears of the fourth wave.

According to details, schools for classes till Grade-VIII will be closed from Friday while classes from 9 and above will be closed. However, schools will remain open for exams of classes 9 and above.

During the meeting, the chief minister expressed concern on the worsening situation of COVID-19 in Sindh, where the positivity ratio has increased sharply during the past few days.

It was also decided to impose a ban on indoor restaurants, amusement parks, water parks, tourists spots, cinemas, gyms and indoor games from Friday.

The development came amid warning from the health authorities of the fourth wave due to the non-implementation of the safety protocols.

Before the Sindh taskforce meeting, CM Advser Murtaza Wahab said, “the number of cases has sharply increased because people have failed to follow SOPs which may compel the Government to take stricter decisions regarding the closure.”

The participants were informed that the provincial positivity has reached 7.4%. To this, CM Shah said over 5% rates is a matter of concern for the government.

About Karachi, the meeting was told that the situation is alarming where the positivity was recorded at 17.11 on July 13.

It is pertinent to mention that Sindh had lifted the restrictions in phases during the past couple of months after new cases were dropped.