Bihar: Patna shuts down schools for a week up to class 8 amid cold waves and Covid scare

Schools were on Sunday ordered to remain closed for the week in the Bihar capital which has been hit by the double whammy of an intense cold wave and a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

The order of Chandrashekhar Singh, District Magistrate, Patna, which came a day before the scheduled rollout of vaccination for adolescents aged 15 and above, exempts Classes 9 and upwards.

"It has been made to appear to me that due to the cold weather and low temperature prevailing particularly in the morning, life and health of children is at risk", Singh said in his order whereby academic activities have been suspended for all private and government schools, up to Class 8, till January 8.

The district, like much of the state, is reeling under an intense cold wave that has been made worse by chilly winds and overcast skies.

Moreover, the district is also bearing the brunt of the recent spike in COVID 19 contagion in the state, accounting for 405 out of 749 active cases.

Last week, a resident of the capital city became the first and, so far, the only person in the state found to be infected with the Omicron variant.

The district magistrate also held a meeting with education department officials for the commencement of vaccination of students of Classes 9-12 across 790 private and government high schools.