E-Paper
Colleges in Maharashtra to reopen from October 20, students must be fully vaccinated
Maharashtra's higher and technical education minister said that universities and colleges must offer online classes to those students who are unable to attend physical classes.
Amid sustained declines in daily new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced that colleges in the state will reopen from October 20. Uday Samant, Maharashtra's higher and technical education minister, said that students must be fully vaccinated to attend the physical classes, adding that colleges and universities should also discuss setting up vaccination camps with the local administration.
Samant further stated that universities and colleges must offer online classes for those students who are unable to attend physical classes from October 20.
The Maharashtra government has been easing Covid-related restrictions in a phased manner. The schools and junior colleges reopened from October 4 as per the government directives as the vaccination drive in the state gained momentum.
On Tuesday, the state government also issued guidelines for the reopening of cinema halls and auditoriums from October 22. According to the standard operating procedure, cinema halls, theatres, and auditoriums will operate at not more than 50 per cent of their seating capacity.
The religious places of all faiths have also been allowed to reopen from October 7, the first day of Navratri, a Hindu festival that spans nine nights. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had said the government is allowing relaxations in various activities with all precautions as it has prepared itself for the third wave of Covid-19.
Earlier, the state government had imposed several restrictions during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival fearing another Covid wave.
