Lucknow, October 12: All schools in the state capital would be reopened from next Monday, October 19, only for students in Classes 9th to 12th, said a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government today. The students and teachers would be required to follow the COVID-19 safety protocols, as released earlier by the government. COVID-19 Impact: School Closure May Cost Over USD 400 Billion to India, Cause Learning Losses, Says World Bank.

"Classes to resume from standard 9th to 12th in all schools of Lucknow district, from 19th October. All SOPs and guidelines in the wake of COVID19 pandemic to be followed, failing which action to be taken under Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897," the UP government order said.

The standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for reopening of schools were unveiled by the Education Ministry on September 30, when the Centre unveiled the Unlock 5 strategy. Maintaining social distancing would be mandatory inside the classroom as well. Read full SOP/Guidelines for schools reopening.

Order Issued by UP Govt

Schools in Uttar Pradesh, and all other parts of India, had closed in mid-March with the outbreak of coronavirus in India. Due to a lockdown imposed since then to curb the pace of virus transmission, the schools have remained shut for the past seven months.

In the Unlock 5 strategy unveiled by the Centre, the state and union territory governments were permitted to decide on reopening of schools from October 15. The decision was to be taken based on the local COVID-19 transmission rate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 12, 2020 09:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).