The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday, 23 November, announced that all schools and colleges in the state will remain closed till 31 December. The state has also imposed a night curfew in four districts to curb the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
The curfew in the state will start from 24 November to 15 December in Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Kullu districts from 8 pm to 6 am.
Following the Union Home Ministry’s guidelines allowing states a flexible approach in reopening schools, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and a few others have reopened schools in a graded manner, mostly for Classes 9 to 12.
While attendance in schools that opened for physical classes did not see a massive jump, some in Haryana and Uttarakhand were forced to shut all schools in the state after a jump in number of students and teachers who tested positive.
Barely three weeks after they reopened for Classes 9 to 12, all schools in Haryana were asked to shut again till 30 November, after around 172 students and an equal number of teachers across various schools in the state tested positive for COVID-19.
Similarly in Andhra Pradesh, 575 students and 829 teachers have tested positive for COVID-19 within three days of high schools opening in the state.
As of 24 November, India has reported 37,975 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 91,77,841. The death toll increased by 480 to 1,34,218.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)