Coronavirus: Delhi Government shuts schools, colleges, cinema halls

NEW DELHI: After shutting all primary schools in Delhi, the AAP government in Delhi has now ordered all schools, colleges where exams are not happening, and all cinema halls shut till March 31. This was done to control the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The announcement was made by the chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, after he met the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Anil Baijal, reported Asian News International.

Kejriwal wrote on social media: Delhi govt has declared Coronavirus an epidemic. We need to exercise abundant caution to contain the disease. All cinema halls, schools, colleges in Delhi will be shut until 31st March, but exams will continue as scheduled. People are advised to stay away from public gatherings.

Delhi govt has declared Coronavirus an epidemic. We need to exercise abundant caution to contain the disease. All cinema halls, schools, colleges in Delhi will be shut until 31st March, but exams will continue as scheduled. People are advised to stay away from public gatherings. pic.twitter.com/2vHyinNKAP

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 12, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic

By Thursday, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in Delhi came to six, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total count for India rose to 73 as the World Health Organisation, WHO, declared coronavirus a pandemic. Social distancing is one of the primary ways of controlling the spread of the virus that has already claimed over 4,000 lives globally.

Educational institutions have been some of the first to react. The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, IIMB, postponed its convocation as did IIM Indore, according to the Press Trust of India. Aligarh Muslim University, AMU, has postponed exams for its distance learning programmes. The Hidayatullah National Law University, HNLU Raipur, has cleared out its campus. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has posted "advisory posters" across the campus and cancelled biometric attendance. Plus, students have been "advised to avoid travelling and mass gatherings". In a statement, the IIT Bombay administration said it is "preparing contingency plans so as not to disturb academic activities".

Schools have been shut in Jammu and Kashmir, reported Mint. The Kerala Government announced on March 10 that it was shutting all schools from Classes 1 to 7, all colleges, professional and otherwise, till March 31. Private tuitions, special classes and holiday classes have also been put on hold in the state till the end of this month and the state is home-delivering the mid-day meals, says a report in The Telegraph.

Also read:

• Coronavirus: UNICEF, WHO, IFRC jointly issue advisory for schools
• Coronavirus: Universities in the US shift to online classrooms

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