Educational institutions to remain closed in Sindh due to current coronavirus situation: Ghani

• Saeed Ghani says all public and private educational institutions will remain closed in the province until further notice.
• Says the decision was taken in view of the current coronavirus situation. 
• Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah says the situation in Sindh 'alarming' as hospitals are running out of beds. 

All public and private educational institutions in Sindh will remain closed in view of the current coronavirus situation in the province, provincial educational minister Saeed Ghani announced Sunday.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh government in this regard, all educational institutions will remain closed until further notice.

During the suspension of the teaching process in educational institutions, headmasters and teaching staff will be allowed to go to campuses in accordance with the 50% attendance rule, Saeed Ghani said. 

"During this period, all classes will continue to take place online," the minister said, adding that in addition to the online classes, students should be given homework through alternative means too through the use of different software and online platform, including Microsoft Office, email, and messaging services like WhatsApp.

The educational minister stressed schools complete students' courses under the current syllabi. 

'Alarming coronavirus situation in Sindh'

Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the coronavirus situation in the province has taken an alarming turn after Eid, so much so that hospitals have run out of beds in COVID-19 wards to accommodate more patients. 

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, the chief minister said that Sindh recorded 8.37% coronavirus positive cases within a week, adding that the rate in Karachi was more than 13%, while it was more than 10% in Hyderabad.

The CM said that all schools and colleges would remain closed for two more weeks.

He also stressed that he will not speak about lifting the coronavirus restrictions at the moment, adding that all markets will close at 6pm instead of 8pm, while both indoor and outdoor dining will remain suspended throughout the province until further notification. He also said that takeaway and home delivery services, however, will remain functional.