Haryana govt orders shutting down of schools, colleges after state witnesses surge in Covid cases

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatar on Monday announced the closure of schools, colleges and educational institutes until January 26 in the state in view of the rising Covid-19 case in state and surrounding areas.

"In view of the increasing cases of Covid-19 pandemic, the government has decided to keep the schools and colleges of the state closed till 26 January for the safety of the students," Haryana education minister said.

Last week, the state government decided to close all the cinema halls, multiplexes and sports complexes in six more districts till 12 January.

Several states including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, Goa, Rajasthan, Telangana have already ordered schools, colleges and other educational institutions to shut down after the country saw a surge in Covid-19 cases.

With 5,166 fresh infections, Haryana on Sunday reported another major increase in new coronavirus cases. 2,338 of them are from the Gurugram district alone, according to an official bulletin.

The state also reported 13 fresh cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the tally of such infections in the state rose to 136.

The Haryana Government had previously announced that it will try to vaccinate eligible children in the 15 to 18 years age group by January 10.

Meanwhile, in view of a spike in cases during the past nearly fortnight, Health Minister Anil Vij on Sunday urged the people to strictly follow all Covid-related guidelines including wearing of masks and following social distancing norms.

"No mask no service" policy will be strictly followed in the state, he said.

(with agency inputs)