Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has reportedly announced that schools in the state will reopen after Diwali on 23rd November 2020 for Classes 9-12.
According to reports, Chief Minister Thackeray also highlighted that schools will reopen with all necessary safety measures such as proper sanitisation and health check-ups in place and that teachers will have to undergo an RT-PCR test to detect COVID-19 from 17th to 22nd November.
The CM also said that students who are unwell or have ailing members at home should not attend school during this time. CM Thackeray also noted that looking at the trend around the world, a second wave of the pandemic is possible.
In addition to this, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that in keeping with social distancing norms, classes will be held on alternate days and only one child will be allowed to sit on a single bench
Education Minister of the state also said that school hours will be reduced to four hours, wherein only Science, Maths, and English subjects will be taught. For other subjects, online learning would continue.
The reopening of schools for other classes would begin in due course in phases.
The School Education Department is expected to release the detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) soon regarding the reopening of schools.
