ISLAMABAD: The capital administration has decided to seal the Federal Government Postgraduate College for Girls in F-7/2 after two people at the institution tested positive for Covid-19.

The college will be closed today (Monday) for five days, Islamabad District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia told Dawn.

“We will disinfect the educational institution and try to trace the patients’ contacts. Hopefully, the institution will open after five days but that is not certain,” Dr Zia added.

When asked the policy for closing institutions, Dr Zia said schools and colleges will be closed if two or more people test positive during random sampling in a single day.

“Moreover, educational institutions can be closed for violations of standard operating procedure (SOP), so educational institutions are frequently directed to follow the SOP to control the virus. After the cases were detected at the educational institution, a recommendation was moved to the deputy commissioner to close the college,” he said.

The college will be closed for five days, during which its premises will be disinfected and contact tracing carried out.

He added that other educational institutions have also reported single cases, because of which the health department is monitoring them closely.

“If the number of cases increases, those institutions will be closed,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat told Dawn that although the college was sealed, there was a problem with the hostel because a few teachers living there insisted they be allowed to stay.

“We did not want to set a precedent, so the teachers were directed to leave the hostel and arrange accommodation elsewhere in the city. The college building will be disinfected and contact tracing will be carried out. After that, educational activities will be allowed at the college again,” he said.

Rawalpindi

A total of 13 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and 11 patients recovered from the disease.

There are currently 433 people who have been isolated by the district administration who are still awaiting test results. In addition, 20 people have been admitted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology of which 12 are from within Rawalpindi district and the rest are from elsewhere.

There are 142 patients isolated in their homes, most of whom were tested at private laboratories and opted to stay at home. Health authority officials are checking on these patients in selective areas.

Local administrations say 348 people are also quarantined, but no houses or streets have been sealed in the city for more than two months.

Rawalpindi district has seen 7,059 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the last six months, including 290 deaths and 6,607 recoveries. According to data from Rawalpindi division, 8,841 people have been diagnosed with the disease since March - 7,059 in Rawalpindi, 630 in Attock, 494 in Jhelum and 298 in Chakwal.

There have been 358 deaths in the division - 290 in Rawalpindi, 39 in Chakwal, 20 in Attock and nine in Jhelum. In addition, 7,941 patients have recovered - 6,607 in Rawalpindi, 601 in Attock, 481 in Jhelum and 252 in Chakwal.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said 22 patients are admitted to hospitals in all four districts, 20 in Rawalpindi and one each in Chakwal and Attock. There are also 160 patients isolated in their homes.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2020