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Pakistan Coronavirus third wave

Federal cabinet reviews overall political, economic situation

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Federal Cabinet Meeting

A meeting of the federal cabinet is underway in Islamabad with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.

The meeting of the federal cabinet is discussing the overall political, economic and COVID-related situation of the country.

Earlier, the Federal Cabinet meeting had given approval for the presentation of Budget 2021-22 in the National Assembly (NA).

The Cabinet had discussed the Budget 2021-22 proposals for the next fiscal year and approves the hike of pension and salaries by 10%.

Also, the meeting also approved the imposition of taxes on mobile phones.

On June 7, the government of Punjab had proposed a 15% rise in salaries and pensions in the budget of the province for the next fiscal year 2021-22.

However, other than an increase in salaries, the development outlay-Annual Development Plan (ADP)- for the province will be set at Rs480 billion for the next fiscal year.

A total of Rs265 billion would be earmarked for the ongoing projects while Rs130 billion would be set aside for new uplift schemes. A development budget of Rs62 billion is earmarked for Lahore uplift projects.

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Federal Cabinet Meeting Discusses Grave Situation In Palestine

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Federal Cabinet Meeting Discussed Palestine Issue

The Federal Cabinet meeting took place on Tuesday (today) to discuss the overall political and economic situation under the chair of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The meeting also discussed the grave situation in Palestine amidst the brutalities by Israeli Forces. According to sources, the federal ministers strongly condemned the Israeli barbarism and it was decided … Read more

“Sinopharm Vaccine Not Banned”, Murtaza Wahab Denies Fake Reports

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Murtaza Wahab As Administrator Karachi Vows To End Politics Of Discrimination

Murtaza Wahab, the Sindh government’s representative, has denied rumours regarding the Sinopharm vaccine’s banning in the province.

In a tweet on Friday, Murtaza Wahab rejected claims saying that the doses of the Sinopharm vaccine had been stopped for the time being.

“This decision has been made to ensure adequate supply for people who have already received their 1st dose of Sinopharm #SayYesToVaccine,” he added.

Coronavirus Situation – Death Toll In Pakistan

Sindh has reported 714 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths during the past 24 hours.

As per the daily reports, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that at least 13 more patients of Coronavirus lost lives overnight raising the provincial death toll to 4,793.

714 more people were diagnosed with the COVID-19 during the same period, raising the tally in the province to 297064, he added.

The chief minister said that 11,110 samples were tested in a day, which detected 714 cases.

Eid Al-Fitr Guidelines

Earlier, to curb the rapid spread of Coronavirus across the country, the National Command and Operating Centre (NCOC) had issued guidelines during Eid holidays.

  1. Eid prayers should be organised in open spaces with COVID protocols. If there is a compulsion to offer prayers in a mosque, then windows and doors should be kept open for ventilation.
  2. Eid prayers should take place in 2-3 shifts at one venue with staggered timings to minimise attendance.
  3. Efforts should be made to keep the sermon (khutba) very brief in order to reduce exposure.
  4. Discourage sick, elderly, and children under 15-years of age from attending prayers.
  5. Mandatory wearing of face mask.
  6. Multiple entry and exit points at prayer venue to avoid rush of individuals.
  7. Thermal screening at entry points.
  8. Availability and use of hand sanitisers at entrances and exits.
  9. 6-feet social distancing markings at the venue.
  10. Worshippers should bring their own prayer mats.
  11. Encourage people to perform wudhu/ablution at home
  12. Discourage socialising and handshakes at the venue after prayers.
  13. No gathering before and after prayer.
  14. Banners/panaflexes highlighting COVID-19 protocols should be displayed at prominent places at the venue as part of the awareness campaign.
  15. Well laid out parking areas should be prepared for crowd management.

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Federal Cabinet Meeting Reviews Prevailing COVID Crisis, Economic Situation

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Federal Cabinet Meeting

Prime Minister Imran Khan chairs the meeting of the Federal Cabinet here on Tuesday (today).

The meeting reviewed the overall COVID-19 situation in the country and the measures taken to reduce its spread.

The meeting will also discuss the overall political and economic situation of the country.

The cabinet will ALSO discuss an 8-point agenda during the meeting.

According to sources, the meeting would approve the appointment of a production control manager at Heavy Industry Taxila.

The cabinet would also give a nod to the deployment of the Pakistan Army in aid of civil administration, added sources.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Imran Khan exchanged his views to Islamabad-based ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries.

Prime Minister said that Islam is a religion of peace and security, linking it with terrorism is a great injustice.

He said that the ambassadors also gave suggestions with reference to the media and appreciated the thinking and concern of the Prime Minister and said that they would extend all possible cooperation on this issue.

The Special Representative said that the Saudi government has announced the construction of a large mosque at the International Islamic University. The 80-Kanal mosque will have a capacity of 12,000 worshipers in which 2,000 women and 10,000 men will be able to offer prayers.

He said that a library with modern facilities and an Islamic research centre would also be set up in the mosque.

He said that the government has welcomed the announcement of the establishment of another mosque after the Faisal Mosque.

This is a new message of brotherhood, love and strengthening of ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the premier added.

He said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are two important countries in the Islamic world and the two countries have a relationship based on faith and belief.

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KP govt. Bans Intercity Public Bus Service Over COVID Spike

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KP bans intercity bus service

Amidst the increasing COVID-19 cases across Pakistan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has barred intercity public buses to be operational for two days to help curb the spread of the deadly infection.

According to the details, the intercity public bus service will remain suspended in KP on Saturday and Sunday (April 3 and 4).

However, the secretary transport KP said that those vehicles transporting food items will be exempted from this limitation.

“Public transport operating within the cities will also remain exempted from the ban,” the transport department said.

On the other hand, the British authorities have placed Pakistan and the other three countries on England’s coronavirus red list.

In a statement released by the UK government, the restrictions will help to reduce the risk of new variants – such as those first identified in South Africa (SA) and Brazil – entering England.

According to the statement, from 4 am on Friday 9 April, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.

Coronavirus Situation In Pakistan

Coronavirus cases are alarmingly increasing as 5,234 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, the highest figure since June 2020.

National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) updates that 83 patients have lost their battle against Covid-19 as the death toll reached 14,613. The total number of confirmed infections is 678,165.

Till now, 10,297,544 tests have been conducted so far and 50,170 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours.

On the other hand, 607,205 patients have recovered while 3,384 patients are in serious condition.

There are 265,917 cases of Covid-19 in Sindh, 225,953 in Punjab, 89,255 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19,610 in Balochistan, 59,401 in Islamabad, 12,984 in Azad Kashmir, and 5,045 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Apart from that, 6,485 patients have died in Punjab, 4,504 in Sindh, 2,382 in KP, 209 in Balochistan, 572 in Islamabad, 358 in Azad Kashmir, and 103 in GB.

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Cambridge Students Want Exams Cancelled, Hold Protest At Karachi Press Club

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Cambridge Exams

Cambridge students are protesting at Karachi Press Club, demanding the government to cancel Cambridge exams across the country. During the protest, the students also chanted slogans while holding placards. One of the students while talking to BOL News said that in view of the third wave of the global pandemic of coronavirus, the health of … Read more

Markets to shut at 8PM as NCOC re-imposes restrictions Over COVID spike

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NCOC coronavirus lockdown restrictions

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has on Monday (today) planned to tighten Coronavirus related restrictions to curb the spread of the deadly pandemic.

The NCOC meeting took place today under the chairmanship of Minister for Planning Asad Umar in which the ongoing dangerous situation of the novel Coronavirus came under discussion.

People would be only allowed to travel in case of emergency however markets across Pakistan would be completely closed on Saturday and Sunday, said NCOC.

The NCOC has also announced strict restrictions in cities with a positive coronavirus rate of more than 8%, which will be applied till April 11.

“A strict restriction has been implemented at all indoor activities across the country. Whereas, only take-aways will be allowed at the outdoor dining till 10 PM.”

The NCOC further added that all kinds of trading services and business will shut by 8 PM and a strict lockdown will be imposed with all possible standard operating procedures (SOPs) following the third COVID-19 strain.

Gatherings of more than 300 people will be allowed only under stringent SOPs implementation, added NCOC.

Earlier in the day, Minister for Planning Asad Umar said the decision regarding strict restrictions across the country will help fight the sharp spike in the novel Coronavirus.

The Minister said the provinces and Islamabad Administration have been directed to launch a crackdown on the violations of SOPs.

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Pakistan: Complete National Lockdown Expected From Monday

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coronavirus lockdown NCOC

Amidst the ongoing third wave of the deadly novel Coronavirus in Pakistan, a complete national lockdown is expected from Monday, March 22 across the country.

According to sources, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed expects a complete national lockdown in Pakistan as the third wave of COVID19 is going berserk in Pakistan.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has released a video statement regarding complete lockdown in the country.

He has denied the news and said that it is possible the government may impose strict restrictions in the coming days.

“I did not say at all that a lockdown will begin on Monday. False reports attributed to me have been circulating,” he began to see in the video.

Rasheed further added, “I did not speak of a complete, nationwide lockdown at all. So I wish to say to everyone, this is a false report being circulated.”

Earlier in the day, it was announced that Coronavirus vaccination centres will remain closed on Sundays and Public holidays in Pakistan.

This has been announced by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday (today).

An official statement has been released in which the NCOC has advised the citizens not to visit the centres on Sundays and Public holidays.

The statement reads, “The decision has been made to provide relief to the vaccine administrators and healthcare workers”.

“Vaccine administrators and healthcare workers have been engaged in the national service for day and night”

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Why Pakistani Students Want Cambridge 2021 Exams To Be Canceled?

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Board Exams to be held across Pakistan this year amid COVID-19

As the third wave of coronavirus has caught Pakistan, the O/A-Level students want the international board to cancel the CIEs 2021 exams to be canceled.

Earlier this week, the Cambridge students started a trend #cancelcieexam2021 on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

An anonymous A-level student said,

“In 2021, students have suffered the most. The syllabus of most of our courses has not been completed yet and most of us are suffering from anxiety and depression because of the pandemic.”

The student went on to say that,

“Now, as the third wave of the coronavirus continues to spread, how can the government allow the exams to be conducted”

Many students have raised their voices for the cancellation of the exams as the government had earlier decided to close down schools once again in Punjab, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkwa.

However, the Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mehmood announced that despite the third wave of coronavirus exams of Intermediate, Matric, and Cambridge will be conducted as per the schedule.

One of the Cambridge students said,

“My college was closed for so long and online classes are not as effective. Classes weren’t held properly and everything was confusing.”

“Last year I was really confident before my CIEs because we actually studied and had our normal mocks, but now the exams are in a month and we haven’t even covered the syllabus yet,” the student continued.

Another student said,

“Cambridge could’ve easily done something to help us. For example, cutting down the syllabus. Excluding some topics. Reducing the workload. But it did not.”

As per the details, all the Pakistani Cambridge students have started a petition in which they have cited the following demands:

  • Online classes were not up to the standard of education required.
  • Schools struggled with delivering curriculum due to on/off schedules.
  • Students and their parents who contracted the virus found it difficult to cope up with their studies.
  • Hostel students who were forced back home didn’t have a proper environment to study.
  • Most countries have promoted students based on predicted grades.
  • Local boards reduced the exam syllabus or delayed assessments but CIE students didn’t have these options.

It should be mentioned here that Cambridge O and A-Level exams are scheduled to be held on April 26 and end on June 11 in Pakistan.

UK Cancels CIEs Exams:

According to the details, the international board has already canceled exams in 10 countries across the world because of the ongoing pandemic.

According to Schools Week, for its IGCSE qualifications in the United Kingdom, Cambridge International is opting for teacher assessments.

[embedpost slug=”ku-calls-off-bcom-exams-following-third-covid-19-wave/”]

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KU Calls Off BCom Exams Following Third COVID-19 Wave

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KU Cancels BCom Exams

Following the third COVID-19 wave across Pakistan, the University of Karachi has called off annual examinations for BCom part 1 and 2.

A notification issued in this regard on Monday said, “All B.Com Part I and II Annual Examination 2020 scheduled from March 22 have been suspended in wake of Covid-19 till further notice.”

However, the university did not further disclose the final date for the exams.

Karachi university cancels BCom exams

On the other hand, Coronavirus cases are surging once again in Sindh and authorities have decided to impose immediate smart lockdown. According to the official notification, a smart lockdown has been imposed with immediate effect. The lockdown will remain active till April 15th, 2021.

According to the notification, amusement parks will be closed by 6 pm.

Moreover, indoor weddings will not be allowed. Only outdoor weddings and events will be allowed with the upper limit of 300 persons till 10 pm. Events will be held under defined SOPs.

Indoor dining will not be allowed. Only outdoor dinings, takeaways, and home delivery will be allowed.

Apart from that, indoor gyms, indoor sports facilities, cinemas, theatres, and shrines will remain closed.

People have been directed to wear the mask and follow social distancing at all public and private offices.

Work from home will be allowed with 50% of the staff in public/private offices.

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