Maharashtra will reopen colleges and universities from February 1, but only students who have been vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus with both doses will be allowed to take classes on campus.
After the state allowed schools to reopen for grades 1 through 12 from Jan. 24, the demand for college reopening began to rise as well. State Minister of Higher and Technical Education Uday Samant said the department will send a proposal to the Chief Minister and only after his nod will a final decision be announced.
With colleges reopening, classes will be conducted with strict Covid-19 precautions. Students will be asked to wear face masks and respect social distancing.
“Decision to start colleges in the state offline from Feb 1, 2022. Hon Chief Minister Uddhav Saheb has accepted the proposal of Ministry of Higher and Technical Education. Students should have been vaccinated when they came to university,” Uday Samant tweeted.
1 2022 राज्यातील महाविद्यालय ऑफलाईन सुरू करण्याचा निर्णय मा. मुख्यमंत्री उद्धवसाहेब यांच्या आदेशाने उच्च व तंत्रशिक्षण विभागाने घेतला आहे..महाविद्यालयात येताना विध्यार्थ्यांनी दोन्ही लसिकरण केलेले असणे आवश्यक आहे.— Uday Samant (@samant_uday) January 25, 2022
Since mid-March 2020, colleges have been closed and classes have gone online due to the pandemic. Since then, the colleges and universities had occasionally reopened.
The decision was made after the number of Covid-19 cases decreased in the state. Maharashtra registered 28,286 cases of coronavirus on Monday, 12,519 fewer than the previous day, and 36 new deaths, including 17 in the Mumbai region, linked to the infection, the state’s health department said. By Sunday, the state had registered 40,805 new cases and 44 fatalities.
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