AIZAWL, 10 Apr: Mizoram will close down schools for students of Class 8 and below following a spike in Covid-19 cases due to the second wave of the virus in the state, a new guideline issued by the state government, which came into effect on Saturday, said.
Schools for students of Classes 5-8 were reopened on 1 March, and for Classes 3-4 on 1 April.
Public interviews for ministers have been suspended for the time being, the guideline issued on Friday night said.
The state government has also banned night church services and extended the duration of the existing night curfew in the state capital town of Aizawl and the district headquarters in view of the second Covid-19 wave, it said.
According to the new guideline, only online classes will be conducted for students of Class 8 and below as normal classes have been suspended with immediate effect.
The proposed opening of schools for the new academic session on 4 May for all classes – nursery to Class 12 – too has been cancelled or reversed until further orders.
This covers all schools, including those under the Central Board of Secondary Education board, the guideline said.
However, the ongoing exams for Classes 9 to 12 will continue till they are completed.
Classes in universities and colleges will be subject to the decision taken by the state’s higher and technical education department, it said.
Churches, cinema halls, auditoria, community halls, picnic spots and other places of entertainment like resorts are allowed to open with 50 percent of their sitting capacity.
The number of attendees at a funeral, wedding and any social or political gathering is fixed at 50, it said. Shops, hotels, restaurants and other business establishments will open under strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
Mizoram on Saturday reported 25 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 4,583, a health department official said.
The state now has 115 active cases, while 4,457 people have recovered from the infection.
At least 11 people have succumbed to the disease so far, the official added. (PTI)
