The Mizoram government has decided to allow the reopening of schools for students of Classes 5-8 from first March after being shut down for 11 months due to the spread of Covid19.
According to the order issued on Wednesday, normal classes for students of middle school (Classes 5-8) will start from March 1 with strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the state school education department.
As per the order, all the students will undergo thermal screening before entering their schools.
Written consent of parents or guardians for going to school has to be produced by the students on the first day, the order said.
School uniforms would not be strictly insisted to students who cannot afford at this time, it said.
Apart from reopening of schools for the middle section, the government has also allowed the students to stay in hostels provided that they produce a Covid19 negative test report conducted within 96 hours before entering the hostel.
Schools in Mizoram have been closed since March last year due to the spread of Covid19 and lockdown imposed to curtail the pandemic.
Earlier, the state government reopened schools for students of Classes 10 and 12 from January 22 and for Class 9 and 11 from February 22.
School education department director James Lalrinchhana said that reopening of schools for students of primary section will be decided later depending on the Covid19 situation.
He said students of primary school need serious care as the pandemic is not fully contained and they are likely to resume going to school during March.
The new order on Wednesday has shortened the duration of night curfew in all district headquarters and was fixed between 10 pm and 4 am.
There is no restriction on business establishments, shops, hotels and restaurants located outside district headquarters and not covered by night curfew, the order said.