Physical classes for students up to Class 9 suspended till April 18 in J&K

Physical classes for students from Classes 10 to 12 will also be suspended for a week amid surging cases in the UT

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday announced that physical classes in all schools for students up to Class 9 will be suspended till April 18 in the wake of the surging virus cases in the Union Territory.

Schools had opened on March 1 in a staggered manner, a year after they were closed owing to the pandemic (HT File)

Physical classes for students from Classes 10 to 12 will also be suspended for a week, from April 5 to 11, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said in a tweet.

Schools had opened on March 1 in a staggered manner, a year after they were closed owing to the pandemic. While Classes 9 to 10 had started attending school from March 1, students of Classes 6 to 8 were opened on March 8 and primary schools been allowed to open after March 15.

The decision to suspend physical classes comes after at least 90 students from different Kashmir schools, including 33 students in a government higher secondary school in Budgam , 36 students in a private school in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district and 14 in a government school in Anantnag district tested positive along with a a number of staff and teachers over the last week.

At least 10 schools had to closed last week after infections were detected among students and staff during random testing drives.

With schools becoming hotspots, parents had requested the government to close all schools. Students were getting the infection, despite schools asking parents asking them to send their wards to the school on alternate days to maintain pandemic protocols.

Some schools had also decided to hold two shifts a day to reduce the class strength by half. The government also said that all gatherings for social and customary functions will be restricted to 200.