School reopening cancelled in Uttarakhand from September 21 amid rising COVID-19 cases

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New Delhi: With COVID-19 cases steadily on the rise, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday said that no schools of any kind will open in the state from September 21.

Uttarakhand's Education Minister Arvind Pandey said that no schools of any kind will open in the state from September 21, adding that the decision has been taken in the wake of an increasing number of coronavirus cases. 

He further said that the future of children cannot be put at risk, therefore, the government has decided not to open any school in the state. 

Of late, Uttarakhand has witnessed a sudden rise in coronavirus cases with 7,580 people testing positive for the infection in just a week to take the state's pandemic tally from 25,436 on September 7 to 33,016 on September 14.

According to an official figure, the number of active cases in the state is more than 10,000. 

Earlier, the Union Home Ministry issued Unlock 4.0 guidelines paving the way for the opening of public transport including trains, Metro rail, and buses. The Unlock 4.0 guidelines also suggested that schools, colleges can be reopened. 

Notably, the Centre permitted the students of 11th to 12th to visit the school from September 21 for taking consultations from teachers if required. 

Haryana's education minister has stated that the state is fully prepared to open schools, adding that preparations for the same have already been completed. If permission is received from the central government, schools may be allowed to open, he said, adding that the state government has made all the necessary arrangements for online school education during the lockdown.