ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday announced that winter vacations for education institutions will commence from 3 January except in areas affected by extreme weather conditions or fog).

The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Reforms, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Asad Umar, Coordinator NCOC Maj General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and SAPM Dr. Faisal Sultan virtually, to review the rescheduling of winter vacations of education institutes was held at NCOC on 17 Dec 21. However, the Provincial entities will notify accordingly.

The meeting was also attended by the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood.

This decision has been taken to maximize vaccine uptake amongst students in educational institutions, which can be best achieved when schools are open. Millions of students remain unvaccinated, and data suggest that children may be susceptible to infection.

Parents are urged to get their children vaccinated at the earliest to protect them and those around them. Additionally, global trends regarding the spread of the Omicron variant suggest that an upsurge of cases typically happens within few weeks of the detection of the variant.

In light of this information, it will be prudent to schedule winter vacations in Pakistan in January to coincide with the potential uptick of cases. This will allow for minimal disruption of educational calendars if there is a surge in cases.

All citizens are urged to get their vaccinations, including those who have not yet gotten their second doses. Complete vaccination offers the highest protection against the disease.

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