"Pakistan is currently at risk of a second wave of coronavirus infections," said the PMA, adding that the countries that are currently experiencing a second wave are facing a more severe form of the disease.
It expressed concerns over the possibility of a similar situation in Pakistan amid growing infections.
According to PMA, the cases are on the rise in Sindh as the people have stopped exercising caution. "It is important that special care is taken in primary and pre-primary schools," said the PMA. It reminded the country that the virus has not yet been eliminated and safety precautions must be taken at all times.
Pakistan registered a significant rise in cases — 625 — in the last 24 hours up from 543 the day before, with 361 from Sindh alone.
Spike in Covid cases
Amid the reopening of schools and business centres, the number of coronavirus cases has started witnessing an upward trend as Pakistan reported at least 752 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, Sept 18.
Previously, the number of Covid cases was on a steady decline since Aug 12 when Pakistan reported 711 positive cases of the virus.
According to the National Command and Operations Centre, Pakistan’s Covid-19 tally rose to 304,386 after the detection of these cases in the past 24 hours with nine patients losing life to the virus.
22 educational institutions sealed off in 48 hours:
Authorities shut down at least 22 educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir in the past 48 hours over their failure to comply with anti-coronavirus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
“During the last 48 hours, 22 educational institutions across Pakistan have been closed due to non-compliance of health SOPs/protocols and disease prevalence,” said a statement by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) issued on Wednesday.
According to the statement, 16 of these educational institutions were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one in Islamabad, and five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier in the week, a major medical college in the federal capital was sealed after 16 Covid-19 cases were reported among students and employees.
‘School reopen’
Millions of students in Pakistan returned to classes on Tuesday after a break of six months, as schools and colleges began to reopen for the first time since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Educational institutes were closed in March as the coronavirus began to spread in Pakistan, but, with daily infection numbers falling, the government last week announced a staggered resumption of classes.