Schools in Delhi will reopen for students from Class 9 to 12 from February 7, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday, reported ANI. Students from nursery to Class 8 will be able to attend schools from February 14, he added.
Colleges will also reopen from February 7, Sisodia said. He added that students will be discouraged from taking online classes and will be asked to attend colleges physically.
In its guidelines, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority said that teachers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will not be permitted inside the schools, reported DD News. The disaster management body also called for boosting the vaccination of children aged 15 to 18.
The beginning of night curfew has also been increased by an hour to 11 pm.
Sisodia announced that restaurants can remain open till 11 pm. All government and private offices have been allowed to function with full capacity. Gyms and swimming pools have also been allowed to reopen.
Meanwhile, the disaster management panel said that it was not necessary for a solo driver in the car to wear a mask, PTI reported.
Delhi had imposed several restrictions in December and January as daily coronavirus cases increased rapidly. On January 13, the city had reported 28,867 new cases – its highest single-day infection count since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The test positivity rate then was 29.21%.
However, cases have come down now. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 2,668 new cases and 14 deaths. The test positivity rate was 4.3%.
With the drop in infections, Delhi is opening the city in a phased manner. Last week, the disaster management body had lifted the weekend curfew. It had also removed the odd-even rule, under which shops are allowed to open on alternate days based on their registration numbers.
Restaurants, bars and theatres were also permitted to reopen with 50% seating capacity. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijwal had then said that the decision to reopen schools would be taken at this week’s meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority.
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