Punjab: Schools to reopen for primary, pre-primary students on Feb 1

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], January 29: After over ten months of closure due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, schools for students of Classes 1 and 2, will reopen on February 1, Punjab School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla informed on Friday.
"Following the conditional approval of the state government, all government, aided and private schools are set to reopen for class 1 and 2 and pre-primary classes from February 1," a statement from the state government quoted Singla.
"Parents firmly support the decision of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh," the cabinet minister said, adding that detailed safety guidelines have also been sent to the schools and officials and school management have been told to strictly comply.
Singla further said that since students of pre-primary classes are younger, department officials and the management have been directed to remain more attentive, and schools have been asked to prepare a special seating plan to maintain physical distancing.
"Principals and school teachers have also been directed to reach out to the parents through various means of communication including public address systems to make them aware of safety norms," Singla said, advising students that apart from schools, they should avoid visiting other places.
Students from Class 5 to 12 had started going to school on January 7.
There are currently 2,079 active cases in Punjab, while 1,64,937 recoveries and 5,590 deaths have been reported so far.