• Govt to lock down more areas if cases rise
• Pakistan taking steps to ensure oxygen availability
• PM’s aide says contracts finalised for 30m doses
• Students of class 9 likely to be promoted without exams

ISLAMABAD: In view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday decided to postpone matric, intermediate and Cambridge exams.

Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that all board exams had been postponed till June 15 and those of Cambridge till the last quarter of the current year.

The NCOC also made it clear that the government would not hesitate to seal more areas in the next few days if other interventions did not work.

On the other hand, as oxygen stock continues to deplete all elective surgeries have been suspended in public and private hospitals throughout the country. It has been decided to divert oxygen used in industries to hospitals while the government is considering importing oxygen.

Meanwhile, rejecting the allegation that Pakistan is depending on donated Covid-19 vaccines, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the government had finalised contracts for 30 million doses.

“Addressing health concerns of students and parents, all exams cancelled till June 15 and depending on the spread of the disease may even go further. Cambridge exams postponed till Oct/Nov for all grades. Only exception for those in A2 who have a compulsion to take exam now,” Education Minister Mahmood tweeted.

“University admissions in Pakistan will be aligned for class 12 and A2 who will be taking exams in Oct/Nov. This is to ensure no one loses a year. For A2 who have some compulsion to take exams now, every attempt will be made to provide safe venues. Not more than 50 students,” he said in another tweet.

An official at the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, requesting not to be named, said students of class 9 would most likely be promoted to the next grade without exams. However, exams for class 10 will be held as last year students of 9th class were promoted without any exam, the official said.

Talking to media, Dr Sultan said virus transmission was high in the third wave. “The prime minister has engaged the armed forces to ensure SOPs are followed. Lockdowns are being imposed in areas with very high positivity ratios such as Mardan,” he said, adding that the government would not hesitate to shut down more areas if other interventions did not work in the next few days.

“Everyone must remember that the NCOC has access to data of all districts and reviews it every single day. We take decisions based on the spread of the disease, success of SOPs’ enforcement and capacity of the healthcare system,” he added.

The SAPM said: “We urge you to trust the NCOC and provincial governments’ decisions as we have the full picture before us. In addition, we continue to expand the capacity of our healthcare system every day.”

About the situation of oxygen in the country, he said engineers were actively working on making more plants functional to produce oxygen. “Diversion from non-essential industries was being planned and avenues for import from other countries are also being explored. Logistics for the transport, including availability of trucks and drivers, are being monitored while guidelines for using oxygen efficiently are being issued to ensure there is no wastage,” he added.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had alleged a number of times that Pakistan was depending on donated vaccines.

Dr Sultan said though there were supply issues, the country’s vaccine roll-out was continuing uninterrupted. “We have been buying vaccines from three manufacturers, and since March 30 three million purchased doses have arrived. We have signed deals for 30 million doses, including the one for technology transfer and joint manufacturing with Cansino,” he said, adding that only 1.7 million doses were grants from China.

“We are not solely dependent on grants, even though we are grateful to our ally, China. Therefore, money is not a concern and the government is willing to spend,” he said.

“However, there is a serious lack of supply all over the world. Even the richest countries like Canada and Australia have had to halt or slow down their roll-out due to lack of supply. No matter how much money you are willing to spend, you cannot buy more than what’s available. In the last few months, manufacturers like AstraZeneca and Moderna have been unable to meet demand,” he said.

Dr Sultan said Covax, an international body which has pledged free vaccine for 20pc of Pakistan’s population, was also facing supply-related issues.

He said two million people had been vaccinated in the country but it was necessary to follow health guidelines, adding that the first line of defence continued to be adherence to SOPs such as wearing mask, maintaining six-foot distance, staying at home and avoiding crowded places.

Meanwhile, the NCOC data reported 4,487 cases and 142 deaths over the last 24 hours.

“As many as 599 ventilators were occupied while the number of active cases was recorded at 87,794 on Tuesday. Overall 6,149 patients were hospitalised across the country,” the data revealed.

Guidelines for Ramazan, Eid holidays

According to the interior ministry’s document dated April 27 and available with Dawn, the NCOC has ordered timely issuance of SOPs/guidelines for Aitekaf, Shab-i-Qadr, Jummatul Wida and Eid prayers.

It further said that there would be a ban on tourism from May 8-16, including on Eid holidays, while resorts, public parks and hotels in and around tourist spots would remain closed.

“There will be a ban on travel (inter-provincial and inter-city transport) during Eid holidays. However, locals, especially those from Gilgit-Baltistan, will be allowed to travel. All tourist resorts, public parks, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and transport will remain closed,” stated the document, which was sent to all four federating and three administrative units.

Travel nodes leading to tourist spots such as Murree, Galiyat, Swat, Kalam, beaches and the northern areas will also be out of bounds to tourists. There will be uninterrupted electricity supply during Eid holidays, the document stated.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2021