LAHORE: As many as 451 persons, including students and teachers, have tested positive for Covid-19 after the opening of the schools in different districts of the province since Feb 1.

According to the Punjab School Education Department, 22 persons have so far tested positive for the virus in Lahore district, where three schools were closed for a period of 14 days after detection of new cases there. They include, 15 students, six teachers and a clerk.

Similarly, the number of Corona positive cases was increasing in Jehlum and Faisalabad districts, as per the department.

Earlier, the government had opened the schools in 29 districts of the province, allowing the full strength of staff and students to join the classes, while the schools in seven other districts were not completely opened because of the increasing number of positive cases there.

According to officials, the district education authority (DEA) and town administrations officials were conducting random Covid-19 tests of the teachers, students and other staff of the schools in the city. The results of the tests were being shared with the government on a daily basis to monitor the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in Lahore after the opening of educational institutions.

The authorities had conducted random tests of hundreds of teachers, students and other staff members of the public as well as private educational institutes in the province, detecting some 209 persons positive for the virus.

Two weeks ago, eight teachers from different public and private educational institutes of the city tested positive for the coronavirus.

A School Education Department (SED) spokesperson told Dawn that all teaching and non-teaching staff of the schools had been directed to cooperate with the health and district administration officials conducting tests in these institutions. They had been warned that action would be taken against those not cooperating with these officials.

He said the schools were sealed for 14 days and those who tested positive would have to isolate themselves at home or any government quarantine facility.

ACADEMIC YEAR: The SED also issued a notification announcing start of the new academic year (2021-22) from Aug 1.

The notification states, “In pursuance of the decisions taken in the meeting of the Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference, the academic year 2021-22 shall start from Aug 1, 2021, ending on March 31, 2022, for all educational institutions in Punjab.”

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2021