Covid-19: Schools, colleges in Himachal Pradesh closed till Dec 31, night curfew in 4 districts

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur on Monday held a cabinet meeting where it was decided that all educational institutions, schools and colleges will remain closed in the state till December 31 in the wake of rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The government has also imposed night curfew in four districts - Mandi, Shimla, Kullu and Kangra - between November 24 and December 15. The state government also decided that only 50 per cent of Class 3 and Class 4 government employees will attend offices till December 31.

“Keeping in view the upsurge in the Covid-19 cases in the state, the government would consider imposing a few restrictions to avoid social gatherings and ensure that people take all necessary precautionary measures. It is also important to regularly monitor the Covid-19 positive cases kept in home isolation as that number is more than those admitted in hospitals,” the CM said.

Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh government had announced holidays for schools and colleges till November 25 but due to an increase in Covid-19 cases last week, the government has now decided to keep the educational institutions closed till the end of December. Online classes will start before November 26.

The decision to close state boundaries has still not been made during the cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh’s Covid-19 death toll crossed the 500-mark on Monday and the total tally of confirmed cases reached 33,701.