Maharashtra to reopen schools from January 24, details here

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has approved a proposal to reopen schools in Maharashtra.

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New Delhi: The Maharashtra government will reopen schools for students of Classes 1-12 for offline classes from January 24, ANI reported. 

Maharashtra School Education minister Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday (January 20) told reporters that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has approved a proposal to this effect sent by the school education department. 

She also informed that the state government has decided to open pre-primary schools from January 24. 

We have also decided to open pre-primary schools (from January 24): Varsha Gaikwad, Maharashtra School Education Minister pic.twitter.com/pSn98HvEHY — ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2022

"Our SOPs are very strict and clear. We have given four days advance notice to the management of schools to undertake vaccination and sanitisation and for preparation of time-table. The timing and other necessary decisions will be taken by the local authorities, such as district collector or municipal commissioner based on the local situations," Gaikwad was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Maharashtra schools were closed in the first week of January amid rise in coronavirus cases and in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron variant.

In Mumbai, the  Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) had announced the closure of schools for Classes 1 to 9 till January 31. 

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 43,697 new Covid-19 cases, including 214 Omicron infections, the health department said. With 49 deaths, the fatality count rose to 1,41,934 and the total Covid-19 caseload reached 73,25,825. The Omicron tally in the state is at 1,860. 

(With agency inputs)