Haryana schools to reopen for Classes 3 to 5 from February 24

Haryana's Department of School Education announced on Monday that schools in the state will reopen for students of Classes 3 to 5 from Wednesday, i.e. February 24. The state school education department has issued orders for the reopening of private and government schools for Classes 3 to 5. Schools in Haryana and the rest of the country were closed in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with classes migrating the online medium.

The state order has stated that schools can function for the specified classes from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. Students will have to submit a written consent letter signed by their parents to the school before they can start attending offline classes, according to Times Now. The order also says that students who wish to continue with online classes are permitted to do so. Students opting for offline classes will have to show a COVID-19 negative certificate to the school.

All schools will have to follow protocols established by the government for dealing with COVID-19. Schools have been ordered to check the temperature of each student and teacher before they enter the school's campus. Those with a high temperature will not be allowed to enter the campus. It will also be mandatory for students and staff to wear masks and to sanitise their hands. Classrooms will be sanitised regularly. Schools are expected to have a seating arrangement that maintains social distancing.  School administrations are expected to submit a daily report to the Haryana School Education Department.

Schools in Haryana had reopened for higher classes in December 2020. Students of Classes 6 to 8 were allowed to attend school from February 1 of this year.

Also read: Delhi schools to reopen for Classes 9, 11, diploma institutions from Feb 5