Punjab's schools to only reopen mid August if COVID-19 conditions manageable: education minister

LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas has rejected reports of the government reopening schools in the province from August 15, saying that it will happen only if the coronavirus conditions are "manageable".

“FAKE NEWS. No date has been announced for opening of Schools in Punjab. What I have said is that if the conditions of COVID 19 are manageable, only then we will try to open by August 15, 20 under very strict SOPs. I will not endanger the lives of our children or our teachers,” Raas said in a post on Twitter.

Earlier, reports of schools reopening from August 15 in Punjab had surfaced.

Raas, while speaking to the media on Saturday, had hinted that schools will reopen from August 15 if the coronavirus situation was normalised.

The minister had been quoted as saying that in the prevailing situation there were almost no chances of schools reopening from July 16. He said all the provinces would announce their decision for reopening of schools after a meeting scheduled for July 8.

Raas had said the School Education Department (SED) Punjab had prepared detailed SOPs so that once schools reopened, the same could be followed to protect the children.

The minister had said that if they were opened, schools would function in different shifts to ensure physical distancing among the students in classrooms.