Unvaccinated children in 15-18 age group won't be allowed to enter schools, when they reopen: Haryana govt

CHANDIGARH: Children in the age group of 15-18 years who are not vaccinated against Covid will not be allowed to enter schools when they reopen, Haryana health minister Anil Vij said on Friday. Schools in the state are currently shut in view of big surge in coronavirus cases in the past fortnight.

The minister issued the instruction during a meeting with officials to review the current Covid situation in the state. "During the meeting, the health minister urged all the parents of children between 15 to 18 years of age to get their wards vaccinated at the earliest, as when the schools open, those who have not been vaccinated will not be allowed to enter the school," an official statement said.

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Over 15 lakh children in Haryana between 15-18 years of age are eligible to get Covid vaccine and vaccination for this age group started on January 3. With the state witnessing big surges in Covid cases, Vij said two nodal officers will be appointed for each district, out of which one officer will monitor arrangements at the government hospitals and the other in private ones. These nodal officers will provide information about the arrangements available in the hospitals to the state government, he said.

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The state government has decided to close schools and colleges in Haryana due to the rapid increase in Covid, Omicron cases in India. "All schools and colleges are directed to close till January 26, 2022. Online classes will continue for students," Kanwar Pal, Haryana education minister said.