By PTI
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday decided to reopen schools, including residential ones, with 50 per cent capacity for students of classes 1 to 12 from February 1 as the coronavirus situation appears to be stabilising in the state, officials said.
The decision was taken after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held discussions with medical experts over the prevailing coronavirus situation and the feasibility of reopening schools, they said.
The CM himself later tweeted about the government’s decision.
“Discussions were held with medical experts on the issue of reopening schools. Accordingly, it has been decided to reopen schools for classes 1 to 12 with 50 per cent attendance, including residential ones and hostels,” Chouhan said in a tweet in Hindi.
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases and emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant, the Madhya Pradesh government had on January 14 issued orders to shut schools for in-person learning for students of classes 1 to 12 and also hostels till January 31.
Though there is nothing to worry on the pandemic front, the administration should continue to ensure COVID-19-appropriate behaviour among citizens and mandatory use of face masks in public places, the CM said.
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 9,67,501 on Monday with the detection of 8,062 new cases, while the toll increased to 10,618 after two patients succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, a state health department official said.
The positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, decreased to 10.8 per cent on Monday from 11.49 per cent a day earlier, he pointed out.
The recovery count stood at 8,96,274 after 10,478 people were discharged during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 60,609, the official said.
Bhopal and Indore, the two worst coronavirus-hit cities of Madhya Pradesh, registered 1,757 and 1,197 cases, respectively, during the past 24 hours, he added.
With 74,554 samples examined during the day, the number of tests in MP went up to 2,59,28,853.
A government release said 10,95,57,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the state, including 2,38,754 on Monday.
Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 9,67,501, new cases 8,062, death toll 10,618, recoveries 8,96,274, active cases 60,609, number of tests 2,59,28,853.
