Schools, colleges, coaching centres in Bihar to remain closed till April 18

PATNA: Considering a spike in COVID cases in Bihar along with other parts of the country, the state government on Friday decided that all shops and commercial establishments will function till 7 pm, while schools, colleges and coaching centres will remain shut for another one week till April 18.

Announcing the decisions, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said an all-party meeting, as advised by Governor Phagu Chauhan, will be convened soon to seek their suggestions on how to check the spread of the infection more effectively in the state besides regulating political activities in the light of spiralling coronavirus cases.

The opening of schools, colleges, coaching centres was deferred by a week till April 11 earlier in the light of resurgence in COVID cases, will remain shut till April 18.

Shops and commercial establishments will remain open across the state till 7 pm by the end of this month and all the coronavirus protocols have to be followed. This time, the restrictions will not be applicable on hotels, restaurants and dhabas, but these establishments also need to adhere to the COVID safety guidelines, Principal Secretary, Health, Pratyaya Amrit told reporters in the presence of Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad and Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Singh.

Kumar, who had on Thursday attended a meeting of chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 situation, told reporters that the state government will ramp up the vaccination drive between April 11 and 14. He said efforts would be made to vaccinate nearly four lakh eligible beneficiaries daily on these four days.

The chief minister said an all-party meeting will be called in another 6-8 days, to discuss the situation with leaders of the political parties and seek their cooperation to manage the sudden spike of COVID cases more effectively. Asked whether political parties will put a curb on their activities, Kumar said the outfits should regulate their programmes adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour.

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