2nd wave of Covid-19: These states shut schools once again as cases rise

All schools, tuition classes are closed in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh.

A year after classrooms were shifted to the online space because of the outbreak of Covid-19, the situation remains the same in many states as physical classes are being suspended once again in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.

Students appear for their annual examination at a school in Amritsar on March 16. (PTI)

Most education institutions suspended physical classes in March 2020 around the time when the nationwide lockdown was announced. After a gap of six months, the Centre allowed states to take a decision on the resumption of physical classes in September. Reviewing the ground situation, states resumed offline classes only if parents give the consent to send their wards to the schools. The process of reopening spanned from September to January, but as cases in India started surging in February, authorities are choosing to suspend physical classes. This comes at a time when students are all set to appear for their annual exams, board exams etc.

List of states which have already closed schools

Punjab

Till March 31, all educational institutions of Punjab will remain closed. Only medical and nursing colleges will remain open. The worst-affected districts of the state are Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Moga. On Friday, Punjab reported 2,490 infections.

Pondicherry

All schools for classes 1 to 8 in this Union territory will remain closed between March 22 and May 31.

Gujarat

The Gujarat government this week has asked all schools in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar and Junagadh to switch to only online classes till April 10. Tuition classes in the cities have also been closed till April 10.

Maharashtra

Schools in districts that are under lockdown and restrictions are shut, according to local lockdown rules. Schools, colleges in Pune are closed till March 31. All schools, hostels, colleges in the Palghar district have been closed till further order. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has asked all schools under its jurisdiction to switch to online platforms.

How schools/hostels are becoming Covid-19 hotspots

Residential schools in many states have reported a cluster outbreak of the infection in the past month. Though schools have been allowed to reopen hostels after thorough sanitising and ensuring that all Covid-19 guidelines are being followed, sharing of common space is being seen as the reason behind the outbreaks. Many cases are asymptomatic as well, making it difficult to track.

Such cluster outbreaks were reported when schools reopened for the first time after a lockdown in September, October. But the situation was brought under control in November as overall cases came down in November-December.