Maharashtra: `Schools in state may not open before Diwali,` says Ajit Pawar

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the state Task Force is not in favour of reopening schools before Diwali.

Mumbai: While the state government is yet to take any decision on school reopening in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday (August 20) said the state Task Force is not in favour of reopening schools before Diwali. Going by the opinion of the state COVID Task Force, the deputy CM said that the schools in the state may not open before Diwali.

Saying that the decision regarding the reopening of schools will be taken in consultation with the task force, Ajit Pawar said the state will go ahead when it says to do so. He said that the task force is of the opinion that the schools shouldn’t be reopened before Diwali.

Giving further details, the Deputy CM said that there’s an opinion that the state government should provide permission to reopen schools in the districts where Covid-19 infections is low. 

“A section of parents and management of educational institutions feel that the government should not wait for so long. They believe that schools should be opened in districts which have zero per cent positivity. The final decision will be taken by the chief minister in this regard,” Pawar added.

Earlier, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad had stated that the offline classes would commence on August 17 in rural areas for students from class V to VIII, while in cities, physical classes will be held for students from class VIII to XII following Covid-19 protocols.

On Friday (August ), Maharashtra reported 4,365 new coronavirus cases and 105 deaths, while 6,384 patients recovered from the viral infection. The state’s infection tally thus rose to 64,15,935, while the death toll reached 1,35,672.

Nandurbar district in north Maharashtra did not record a single active COVID-19 case for the fifth day in a row. Ahmednagar district reported the highest 577 new infections, followed by Satara at 554. Satara district also recorded the highest 17 deaths during the day.

The Nashik region reported 699 new cases, Mumbai 696, Latur 161, Aurangabad 29, Akola 18 and the Nagpur region recorded 14 new cases. Mumbai city reported 319 new cases and six deaths, while Pune city reported 201 infections and one fresh fatality.