Maharashtra to reopen schools for all classes from Monday

Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government announced the closure of schools after Covid-19 cases started spiralling from December.

Schools in Maharashtra will reopen from Monday (January 24) for all classes from 1 to 12, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad announced on Thursday. "The chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) has given consent to reopen offline schools for classes 1 to 12," Gaikwad said in a statement.

In view of the reopening, the state government on Wednesday stressed the need to inoculate students in the age group of 15 to 18 years.

"However, Covid appropriate behaviour and SoPs issued by the government must be followed," Gaikwad said. Pre-primary schools can also begin physical classes from the same day, as per the order.

Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government announced the closure of schools after Covid-19 cases started spiralling from December. The surge which was mostly led by the highly transmissible Omicron variant led to various other restrictions as well, including night curfew.

According to the order, the authority to reopen schools has been given to local authorities such as municipal commissioners, district collectors, chief executive officers, education officers. The relaxation is limited to areas where the number of cases is low based on the local Covid-19 situation.

In view of the reopening, the state government on Wednesday stressed the need to inoculate students in the age group of 15 to 18 years. The education minister has also asked teaching and non-teaching staff to get fully vaccinated.

With this, the state's caseload reached 73,25,825, while the fatality count rose to 1,41,934. The overall Omicron tally has reached 1,860.