Telangana unlocks: Schools, colleges set to reopen July 1

The Telangana government has decided to completely lift the lockdown starting Sunday, with all educational institutions in the state set to open from July 1.

On June 1, the state had imposed a partial lockdown — from 5 pm until 6 am daily — until June 19 to curb the spread of coronavirus. Before that, the partial lockdown was from 10 am to 6 am.

The decision to lift the lockdown completely was taken during a Cabinet meeting on Saturday. The Cabinet has examined reports submitted by the Medical and Health department officials, stating that the number of coronavirus-positive cases have come down drastically, and that the situation is now under control in the state.

The Cabinet has instructed officials in all departments to lift all restrictions imposed during the lockdown, the government said in a statement.

It has also instructed the Education Department to reopen all categories of educational institutions in the state from July 1 with full preparedness, and students are allowed to attend classes physically.

The Cabinet sought support and cooperation of the people on the decision, the statement said. The Cabinet also made it clear that lifting of the lockdown should not lead to negligent behaviour, and that people should continue to wear masks, maintain physical distance and use sanitisers and other self-regulatory methods to curtail the spread of Covid-19 and follow the government’s guidelines.