Coronavirus: Smart lockdowns better than shutting down all schools, says Punjab education minister

Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas on Sunday said that instead of taking an across-the-board decision to shut down schools to contain the spread of the coronavirus, imposing the government's recommended 'smart lockdowns' is a better choice.

In a Twitter update, the minister said that a meeting of all provincial education ministers will be held on Monday, November 16, to discuss the prevailing condition of coronavirus in the country. He added that he will provide further updates related to the decisions after the meeting.

The Monday meeting was announced by the Minister for Education and Vocational Training Shafqat Mahmood earlier this week. The forum will also discuss the possibility of announcing winter vacations early this year and extending the winter break to keep children at home. 

On Friday, Raas spoke to a private news channel and said that Punjab is closely monitoring the situation in schools, adding that schools are doing "absolutely fine." He added that there should be no winter vacation either.

The minister had maintained that an across-the-board decision for schools is not possible because of the nature of cases in different cities.

"If there are more cases in Gujranwala, for instance, we cannot close schools in other cities. It does not make any sense," he had said.