Schools & Colleges in Himachal Shut After Students Test Positive

All schools and colleges in Himachal Pradesh have been shut for two weeks from 11 to 25 November. 

(Photo: PTI)

Alarmed by a spike in the number of teachers and students testing positive, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to shut all educational institutions for a period of two weeks till 25 November, reports news agency PTI.

According to The Tribune, around 123 government school teachers and students had tested positive till 9 November. In addition, 67 students have tested positive at a Tibetan boarding school in Mandi.

The development comes nearly a week after schools were opened for regular classes for students between classes 9 to 12 on 2 November. According to the report, the decision was taken during a state Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

During the meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, it was decided to grant special vacation to all government and private schools, colleges, ITIs, polytechnics, engineering colleges and coaching institutes from 11 November to 25 November.

Earlier, around 829 teachers and 575 students had tested positive within a week’s time, after schools reopened in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, around 84 schools in five blocks of Uttarakhand were closed for five days after around 80 teachers tested positive.

(With inputs from PTI and The Tribune)