Bengal allows schools, colleges, varsities to reopen from February 3: more Relaxations on restrictions.

Government eases Covid curbs as situation in the state improves

Bengal has 31,562 active cases of infection.: File picture

TT Bureau, PTI   |   Calcutta   |   31.01.22  : The West Bengal government allowed schools to reopen for classes 8 to 12 from February 3 as the pandemic situation improved in the state.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said colleges, universities and polytechnic institutes will also reopen on that day.

"We will decide on reopening primary schools later," she said.

Banerjee said the Covid-19 situation in the state has improved a lot, because of which certain relaxations are being given.

Work force can be increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent in private offices, CM Mamata Banerjee said, adding that the state's daily tally of new cases of infection is declining.

She also announced that restaurants, bars and cinema halls can now operate at 75 per cent capacity compared to the earlier 50 per cent. The same applies to sports arenas, which can now operate at 75 per cent seating capacity.

Flights from Bombay and Delhi will operate on a daily basis starting today, the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

As per the state health department's most recent Covid-19 bulleting, Bengal has 31,562 active cases of infection. The recovery rate for novel coronavirus patients in the state stands at 97.38 per cent, while the fatality rate is 1.03 per cent.

At least 6.89 crore individuals in the state of West Bengal have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. This includes 5.02 crore beneficiaries who have been administered both doses.

Educational institutions in West Bengal will reopen from February 3. Students of Classes VIII to XII will return to school and classes will be held in neighbourhoods under the Paray Shikshalaya programme for Classes V to VII, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced.

Colleges, universities, polytechnics and industrial training institutes in the state will also reopen, Banerjee said at a press conference at Nabanna, the state secretariat. “We will decide on reopening primary schools later," she added.

Banerjee said the COVID-19 situation in the state had improved and hence the state government had decided to ease some curbs,

Offline classes have been conducted in brief spells for Classes IX to XII but this is the first time since the pandemic broke out and schools were in March 2020 that students of Class VIII will be returning to the classroom.

Physical lessons were first resumed for senior school students for a brief period in February 2020 but shut again in April 2020 amid the second wave of COVID-19. Students of Classes IX to XII, colleges and universities returned to campus after a 20-month break in November 2020.

Students will be returning to the campus after a month-long break this time. On January 3, 2022, the West Bengal government once again announced the closure of all schools because of the Omicron-led third wave of the pandemic. The West Bengal education department has now appealed to the state secretariat to consider reopening of schools once again. Teachers, parents and students have been calling for resumption of offline classes.

West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu had said ahead of the November 2021 reopening that offline school would resume for all classes in phases.

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