Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday disposed of a petition that sought directions for online examination and sent it to the National Command & Operation Control (NCOC) to decide.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah while hearing a plea made it clear that courts would not interfere in education matters.
The petitioners’ counsel had submitted that coronavirus was spreading in the country while some private educational institutions had announced exams from March 9.
22 deaths, 1,592 new cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 22 deaths and 1,592 new infections during the last 24 hours.
With the latest numbers, the country’s tally of cases has reached 592,100 while the death toll caused by COVID-19 reached 13,227.
According to the official portal of the health ministry, for the first time in the current year the positivity rate has crossed 4 per cent raising alarm among the authorities.
The number of recoveries in the last 24 hours were registered at 1,210 taking the overall recoveries to 560,458.
The government, meanwhile, has started registration of general public over 60 years of age for vaccination.
A day earlier Planning & Development Minister Asad Umar had announced on Twitter that vaccination for general patients was starting from March 10.
Sindh records over 8 per cent positivity rate
Sindh has seen in the first week of March a sharp rise in positivity rate - from 2.47% to 8.26% in the first week of the month.
Karachi’s positivity ratio has increased from 3.27% to 5.66%.
Islamabad government under fire for organising festival
Residents of Islamabad and visitors to the iconic F-9 Park (Fatima Jinnah Park) have expressed their concern over holding of three-day tourism festival at the park premises saying it might lead to spread of COVID-19.
Khadim Hussain, a regular visitor to the park, expressed his surprise at the conduct of the festival.
Positivity rate in the federal capital too is up (4.6 per cent) while 190 new cases were reported in one day.
Under these circumstances holding festivals and exposing thousands of participants to the virus is unjustified, said Rabia, another visitor to the park.
They have left behind all kinds of trash and it will take the park staff days to remove it, she said.
The festival held on March 5-7, 2021, featured a number of activities for people of all ages.
A horse show, vintage car exhibition, motorbike racing and music concerts left little room for the people to follow COVID-19 protocols.
