Bihar Unlock 7: Primary schools to reopen, announces Nitish Kumar

Passengers arriving in the state from states with high caseload will undergo mandatory testing, the chief minister further said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced relaxations for phase 7 of unlock from the state's coronavirus lockdown. Kumar's announcement came a day before Unlock 6 is scheduled to end, though the chief minister clarified that all previously announced guidelines will continue to remain in force.

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“Covid-19 related restrictions have yielded positive results. In today's review meet, it was decided that all Anganwadi centres and primary schools in Bihar will reopen by November 15,” a rough translation of Kumar's tweet, posted in Hindi, read.

All universities, schools, colleges, technical institutions etc. in the state began functioning normally from August 25, when Unlock 6 came into effect. Previously, these were functioning in a limited capacity.

Kumar, meanwhile, also urged people to exercise caution during the upcoming festive season. “District administrations will issue instructions for processions and crowd management. Passengers arriving from states with high number of cases will undergo mandatory testing,” he tweeted.

Finally, he announced that all eligible beneficiaries will be vaccinated against the viral illness, adding that people still need to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

On September 23, four more people tested positive for Covid-19 in Bihar, taking its cumulative infection tally to 725,922 according to a health department bulletin. Seven more patients recovered from the contagious diseases, with total number of recoveries rising to 716,206. Active cases stood at 55, while one more related fatality was reported.