PUNE: The
schools in Pune and
Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits will remain shut till January 3 in view of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision on reopening the schools after January 3 would be taken after reviewing the
Covid-19 situation, said the latest orders of the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations issued on Saturday.
Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “The schools, both aided and unaided, were earlier slated to reopen on December 14. But when we took consent forms from parents, we realised that very few of them gave positive response to the proposal to reopen schools. Besides, we did not want to risk the health of children. Hence, we decided to postpone the reopening of the schools.”
The
Maharashtra government had given permission to reopen schools from November 23, but many local government bodies are yet to give a green signal to the institutions because of the Covid-19 cases in their jurisdiction. The schools in Pune rural areas, under the
Zilla Parishad, reopened on November 23, but the
Pune Municpal Corporation (
PMC) had decided to keep them shut till December 13 until further orders.
There is no clarity yet on if the schools in the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits would reopen on January 4. “Even if the Covid-19 spread is under control at the moment, we do not want to take any risks. Before January 4, we shall once again review the parents’ consent and the pandemic situation as health of students is of utmost importance. We shall decide on reopening or not reopening the schools only after assessing these aspects,” added Mohol.