COVID-19: Schools closed till August 22 in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 11 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh government has decided to close schools except for residential schools till August 22.

• The state government earlier had opened schools for Classes 10 and 12 and now they will be closed till August 22. However, teaching and non-teaching staff shall attend the school. The education department shall frame SOPs for the residential schools to contain COVID-19.

  
  

  While it is mandatory for tourists to carry RT-PCR negative reports of a minimum of 72 hours, Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) report of 24 hours or Vaccination Certificate with both doses to enter the state.

  
  

  The State Cabinet meeting was chaired in Shimla on Tuesday under the chairmanship of State Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. With the sudden surge in Covid positive cases, the cabinet decided to make these certificates mandatory to tourists and the local residents of the state will be exempted. Earlier the government had issued an advisory to the tourists entering the state to follow the above guidelines which have been made mandatory now.

  
  

  "Inter-state, Inter-district and Intra-district Movement of Public transport buses are now allowed to operate with 50 per cent of the registered seating capacity with effect from August 13, 2021. For the inter-State public transport buses, Transport Department shall frame mechanism for checking of RTPCR/RAT/ Vaccine certificate, so that only eligible passengers will board the buses," stated the release given by the Himachal Pradesh government. (ANI)

  
  

  Eleven schools in Chamba district were closed today after eight teachers, five students and one non-teaching employee were found Covid positive on Friday.The Higher Education Department has issued directions that if a Covid case is reported in any educational institution, it will be closed for two days and its premises will be sanitised.

  
  

  A teacher each was found positive in the Government Senior Secondary Schools (GSSS) of Jadera, Khajjiar, Sei Kothi, Kunra, Lamu, Garola, Ligga and Chakoli. A non-teaching employee of the GSSS, Sila Gharat, was also found infected.

  
  

  Three students of the GSSS, Holi, and two students of the GSSS, Mehla, were also positive. The schools have been closed for 48 hours. The state government had opened government schools for Classes X to XII and colleges on August 2.

  
  

  As per the Health Department, a total of 52 students — including 13 in Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) — were found Covid positive after the opening of the institutions. Fifteen of these students are from Kangra, nine each from Shimla and Chamba, seven from Mandi, five from Hamirpur, three from Una, two from Bilaspur and one