Mumbai schools which were to reopen from December 1 will continue to remain shut till December 15. Schools were scheduled to reopen amid strict Covid-19 precautions after 20 months from December 1, however, the reopening has been deferred, This is part of the new Covi-19 guidelines released amid threat of the new covid-19 variant omicron. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had on Monday said that the state cabinet has expressed concerns about passengers arriving from at-risk countries.
“Schools for classes 1-7 will now reopen from December 15, instead of December 1, in view of the emergence of #Omicron variant of COVID19 in the world,” Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told media.
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The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai stated in its official notice that “to ensure the safe return of students to school, MCGM has decided to defer the decision of opening of schools for std. 1st to 7h by 14 days. Schools for Std. 1st to 7h will open from 15h December 2021.”
Speaking to reporters, BMC’s education officer Raju Tadvi said, “The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has posed a new threat before us. We need some time to ensure safety and implement precautionary measures. Hence, we have decided to reopen the physical attendance in schools from December 15.” There are 2,20,000 students studying in Classes 1 to 7 in the BMC schools.
Announcing the reopening guidelines, Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had earlier said, “The government is sensitive to the possibility of a third wave and no laxity in implementation of SOPs will be permitted. Our students are our future. Let us all come together to ensure their health, wellbeing and continued education.”
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Amid the guidelines issued for the reopening of schools, the Maharashtra government had announced that physical classes were held only for 3-4 hours a day. Schools were asked to work in shifts or on alternate days as the case may be to ensure only 15-20 students are present in class at a given time.
As of now, no Omicron cases have been reported in India. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will hold a review meeting with States on the Omicron variant of COVID19 today.
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