Jharkhand schools, colleges closed (representational)
Jharkhand Schools, Colleges Closed: Schools, colleges, coaching institutions and other educational institutions in Jharkhand will remain closed till January 15, the state government decided today, amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state. The decision has been taken at a meeting of the state disaster management authority chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
“Parks, swimming pools, gyms, zoos, tourist places, sports stadiums, schools, colleges, coaching institutes will remain closed till January 15, 2022, but these institutions will have administrative work with 50% capacity. Till January 15, 2022, cinema halls, restaurants, bars and shopping malls will open with 50% capacity,” the Office of the Chief Minister, Jharkhand tweeted today evening, after the DMA meeting.
Jharkhand becomes the latest state to shutdown schools amid fears of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Goa had earlier announced that schools will be closed until further orders.
Schools have been shut in Mumbai as well. The Karnataka government is expected to impose more restrictions, which could include shutting down schools, to contain the spread of the virus.
India has so far reported 1,700 Omicron cases. Most of the cases have been reported in Maharashtra (510). The country also saw a 22 per cent jump in new COVID-19 cases, as per government data released this morning.