As schools reopen, Uttar Pradesh makes COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for teachers, staff

UP has made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all teachers and school staff, along with their families.

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New Delhi: As schools reopened in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday (September 2) made COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all teachers and school staff, along with their families. 

The primary schools reopened in the state on Wednesday with strict COVID-19 guidelines in place. For standard 9 to 12, the physical classes resumed from August 16 in the state, while for standard 6-8, schools reopened from August 24. However, attendance is not compulsory and online classes are continuing. Also, the consent of parents is must for students to attend school. 

All teachers and school staff, along with their family, have to mandatorily undergo COVID-19 vaccination, following reopening of schools: Uttar Pradesh government pic.twitter.com/HupX8k3Jmc — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 2, 2021

For the primary standards, Classes began in two shifts of three hours--from 8 am to 11 am and from 11.30 am to 3:30 pm-- with 50 per cent students of a class in each shift., PTI reported. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken to Twitter and conveyed wishes to the students. "Best wishes for the students. The schools are reopening from today. All teachers are requested to take care of students and follow the Covid protocol," he wrote in Hindi. 

The schools for primary classes restarted for the first time since March 20 last year when the government imposed a lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh reported 19 new coronavirus cases and two deaths due to the disease on Wednesday, pushing the caseload to 17,09,351 and the toll to 22,825. Out of the new infections, four each were reported from Lucknow and Allahabad, three from Gautam Buddh Nagar, and one each from Meerut, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Azamgarh, Saharanpur, Fatehpur, Maharajaganj and Sant Kabirnagar, as per the official data.

An official UP spokesperson said there are no coronavirus cases in 27 of the state's 75 districts. More than 7.31 crore vaccine doses have so far been administered in the state, the spokesman added

(With agency inputs)