Chandigarh administration orders schools, colleges to close till March 31 as COVID cases surge

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 22

The Chandigarh Administration has ordered all schools and colleges in the union territory to close until March 31—a development that comes as UT reports a second spurt of coronavirus cases.

An order from the Chandigarh Administration's Director of Education said that it would revisit its decision to hold in-person exams for Classes 9 and 11. A revised schedule, if necessary, will be issued later.

Teaching and non-teaching staff in schools and colleges will have to report to work as usual.

Read also: Chandigarh announces new Covid curbs; eateries to close by 11 pm, ban on Holi festivities

Online exams for Classes 3-8 will go ahead as scheduled, as will Panjab University’s online exams.

Another order from the Chandigarh Administration bans public gatherings for Holi and orders all state museums, libraries, auditoriums and theatres to close down until further orders.

Restaurants and eating houses have been asked to close shop by 11 pm, and must limit their customers to 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

All gatherings, whether social and political, need the Chandigarh administration’s sanction. 

The union territory has been battling a second wave of the COVID-19 infection all of this month.

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Until March 21, Chandigarh had 1,872 active cases—nearly five times the UT’s active infection numbers since the end of last month.

Chandigarh's government schools began reopening gradually in November last year after a gap of nine months. Schools and colleges were ordered closed last March after COVID cases rose across India. 

The second wave comes in the middle of a vaccination drive to help break the chain of transmission. 

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