ISLAMABAD: Starting from Monday for two weeks, Pakistan shut downed educational institutions in Islamabad, Peshawar and densely populated areas of the Punjab province once again to limit a third wave of the coronavirus disease, officials said.
“Educational Institutions in Sindh and Baluchistan would continue with 50% attendance every day. In Punjab, spring break will start from Monday March 15 to March 28 in the following cities and all education institutions: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan,” Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted last week.
This is the third time since last year that Pakistan has shut down its educational institutions to curb new coronavirus infections.
The closure of schools and colleges follows partials lockdowns imposed by capital city Islamabad and Punjab, the country’s most populous province, on Sunday.
Punjab has reported 60 percent of the new COVID-19 cases with smart lockdowns imposed in Lahore, Gujarat, and Rawalpindi.
Restrictions have also been tightened in the capital, with a ban on all indoor activities and outdoor functions limited to two hours with less than 300 people in attendance. Offices in the capital have been instructed to run on 50 percent capacity as well.
As of Monday, 2,253 people had tested positive for COVID-19, with 29 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatality count to 13,537 since February last year, according to the health ministry.
In another development, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said that a Karachi United (KU) player – one of the teams participating in the National Women’s Football Championship 2021– had tested positive for COVID-19.
“KU has been advised to get their entire squad tested,” the PFF said in a statement on Monday, adding that “all teams in first and second contact have been advised to get their squads tested.”
Meanwhile, according to an interview by state-run Radio Pakistan quoting Planning Minister Asad Umar, Pakistan will start registering people aged 50 and above in the next ten days for a vaccination program.
Umar, who heads the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) – which oversees Pakistan’s coronavirus response – said that those aged 60 and above must get registered for the vaccine because “coronavirus can hit them easily.”
Pakistan shuts educational institutions to curb spike in COVID-19 cases
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Pakistan shuts educational institutions to curb spike in COVID-19 cases
- Anti-virus measures, including partial lockdowns in some cities, imposed to limit third wave of outbreak
- Surge in numbers follows relaxation of virus-related restrictions last month
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
