School Reopening: These States to Resume Classes From Today; Check Out

School Reopening News: Schools in many states / UT are scheduled to open beginning Monday, that is, September 21. In particular, these schools will resume after being closed for more than five months due to the deadly Coronavirus pandemic. Many states gave the go-ahead to reopen schools following the Center's 'Unblock 4' guidelines which allowed for a partial reopening of schools, colleges, educational and training institutions as of September 21.

Emphasizing the need to follow the COVID protocol, the Center had said that teachers, employees and students must ensure a physical distance of at least six feet. Also, other measures they will need to adhere to include wearing a face mask, washing hands frequently, following respiratory etiquette, self-monitoring of health, and not spitting in public. For students and teachers safety, the school administration will make alternative arrangements for non-contact attendance.

Schools should ensure that online or distance learning continues and that students in classes 9-12 should be able to visit their school voluntarily to receive guidance from their teachers.

According to the guidelines, schools outside of the containment zones will only be allowed to open. Students, teachers, and employees living in containment zones will not be permitted to attend. Students, teachers, and employees will also be warned not to visit the areas within the containment zones.

Meanwhile, several other states and UT, including Delhi, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Uttarakhand, have decided to resume schools as of today partially. However, states like West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim and others have still to make a final decision about resuming school.