New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI) Private coaching institutions in the national capital will be closed till further orders due to rapid increase in number of COVID-19 cases but online cases can continue, the Directorate of Education (DoE) said on Wednesday.

The Delhi Disaster management Authority (DDMA) had yesterday enforced yellow alert in Delhi following spike in COVID cases amid emergence of Omicron variant. Schools and colleges were announced to be shut under the yellow alert.

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"Private coaching institutions situated in Delhi will remain closed till further orders. However, online classes can be continued. All private coaching centres will follow the instructions and guidelines issued by DDMA from time to time for security and safety of students, teachers, faculties and public at large," DoE said in an official order.

"In case, any coaching centre is found violating the instructions, the defaulters will be penalised as per provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and other applicable laws," it added.

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The national capital on Tuesday registered a massive spike in daily COVID-19 with 496 fresh cases, the highest since June 4, while the positivity rate also rose to 0.89 per cent along with one fatality due to coronavirus in the city.

The total number of cases of new Omicron variant of COVID-19 recorded in Delhi has also mounted to 238.There were 67 Omicron cases in the national capital on Friday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)