COVID-19: Mizoram shuts schools, colleges amid rising COVID cases

AIZAWL: Schools in Mizoram will be closed for students of classes 1 to 9 and class 11 amid the rise in coronavirus cases, as per the new COVID-19 guidelines issued on Friday. Colleges, institutes of higher education and universities will also remain closed across the state, it said. Hostels at the schools will also be closed and the classes will be conducted in the online mode, it said.

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However, schools and hostels will remain open for students of classes 10 and 12, who are appearing for their board examination this year, it said. Classes at all colleges, institutes of higher education and universities will also be held online, it said. The School Education Department will ensure full vaccination of teachers and other officials on duty, it said. Training institutes are allowed to remain open with 50 per cent seating capacity, it added.

The new guidelines, which will be in force from January 8 to January 31, prohibited worship services at churches during the night. It will be allowed only during the day with 50 per cent of the seating capacity. Congregational or mass singing in churches and public gatherings will continue to be prohibited, it said.

Picnic spots, movie theatres, public parks, swimming pools, gymnasiums and beauty parlours will be closed in the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) area, the guidelines said. Deputy Commissioners of the districts in consultation with the Local Level Task Force (LLTF) or Village Level Task Force (VLTF) and market associations will make arrangements for the opening of shops in a staggered manner, it said.

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In the AMC area, all Group A and B officers and their staff will attend office, while only 50 per cent of Group C and D staff will attend office and the rest will work from home. Persons with disabilities and pregnant woman employees are exempted from attending offices but are required to work from home, the guidelines said. Mizoram on Friday reported 579 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 1,43,772. The toll rose to 555 as one more person died.