Bhubaneswar, Nov 1 (PTI) Physical classes for first-year undergraduate students for the 2021-22 academic session began in Odisha on Monday by following COVID-19 safety protocols, the higher education department said.

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Classroom teaching had been suspended since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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In a letter to the head of the institutions last Wednesday, Principal Secretary of the department Saswat Mishra had said face masks are mandatory, and social distancing should be maintained in classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and other places.

Hostel facilities would also be provided to students and coronavirus guidelines should be followed there, the letter said.

Classroom teaching of first-year postgraduate students will begin from November 15, Mishra said in the letter.

On Sunday, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said he expects that offline classes till class 7 may resume after Diwali as the possibility of a third wave seemed to be reducing.

The government will soon take a call on the matter, Dash said.

Schools in Odisha reopened for students of class 8 last Monday.

Physical classes had started for classes 10 and 12 on July 26 and for class 11 from October 21.

(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)