ISLAMABAD: Three more educational institutions were sealed in the capital after cases of Covid-19 were detected there.

The Kohsar police have been told to seal all three colleges until further orders.

Capital administration and police officials told Dawn that directives were issued to the police to seal Margalla College in F-7/4, Islamabad Model College for Girls F-7/4 near Maqbool Market and the Girls College on Bhittai Road in F-7/2.

Three Covid-19 cases were reported from each of the institutions during randomised testing of students and staff.

The colleges will now be closed and disinfected, and all exposed staff and students will be tested for Covid-19. All the close contacts of the patients must quarantine for 14 days.

Officials said the college administrations have informed students and parents about the decision, and their premises have been vacated and sealed. All the patients and their contacts, along with exposed staff and students, are at home.

Tracing takes two to three days, allowing Covid-19 patients’ contacts to move around: DC

The officials said it is a difficult task to obtain details, such as addresses, to contact those who need to be tested to collect samples. The institutions’ managements will be approached to identify contacts of the patients, but the exercise takes time.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat told Dawn that according to standard operating procedure, an educational institution is sealed when more than two people test positive for Covid-19. The institution is sealed immediately and the patient’s activities and contacts are investigated.

A list of contacts is made and the individuals are approached by officials from the District Health Office for testing, he said.

He added that the exercise takes two to three days, and the patients’ contacts who may be infected but asymptomatic move around before they test positive. During that period, they can spread the disease further, and this is one of the reasons that Covid-19 cases are increasing in the capital.

He said that an increase in new cases in a single day is expected as all activities have resumed, but efforts are ongoing to control and reduce the number with small, targeted lockdowns known as the ‘micro smart lockdown strategy’.

The capital reported 73 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday out of 5,398 tests carried out in the last 24 hours.

There were 13 cases reported in G-9, 11 in E-11, six in DHA II, five each in the National Police Foundation and I-10, four in G-10, three each in G-8, F-11 and Chatha Bakhtawar, and two each in Sohan, I-8, Ghouri Town, E-7, G-7, Bharakahu, PWD, Golra, G-6, G-13, G-11, F-8, D-12 and Bahria Town.

Rawalpindi

One person has died and 18 more people have tested positive for Covid-19, while 297 people are still awaiting their test results in Rawalpindi.

A 67-year-old resident of Khayaban-i-Sir Syed was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday and died late at night.

Rawalpindi district has now reported 7,122 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 292 deaths and 6,671 recoveries.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2020