Bihar: Schools to resume classes XI & XII, eateries allowed to run

PATNA: Colleges, universities, government training and polytechnic institutes besides classes XI and XII in schools will reopen with 50% attendance, as the Bihar government on Monday announced further relaxations in the Covid-induced restrictions in the state. Night curfew will remain in force from 9pm till 5am.
The education department will issue detailed guidelines regarding educational institutions. The health department will make special arrangements to vaccinate adult students, teachers and other staff of educational institutes, chief minister Nitish Kumar tweeted after the crisis management group meeting. Online classes will continue in schools and other educational institutions.
State education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the learning institutions would reopen in phased manner. “In the first phase, universities, colleges and higher secondary schools will reopen. High schools would reopen in the second phase and primary and middle schools in the third phase,” he said.
According to the fresh notification issued by chief secretary Tripurari Sharan and to be effective from July 7 to August 6, restaurants and eateries can reopen with 50% seating capacity. Home deliveries will be allowed from 9am to 9pm. The government and private offices can resume full-fledged operations. Visitors, who have been vaccinated, will be allowed to enter the government offices.
The education minister told this newspaper that the higher secondary schools, colleges and universities would reopen from next week and the detailed guidelines will be issued by the end of this week.
However, coaching centres and other educational institutions, religious places, cinema halls and shopping malls will remain closed. Entrance exams, competitive tests scheduled will be held as per the Covid-19 SoP issued by the Centre. The timings for parks, garden and zoos will remain the same, from 6am to 12 noon.
The timings for shops, except dealing in essential items, will be the same, from 6am till 7pm, on alternate days. Gymnasiums, clubs and swimming pools have been allowed to open with 50% occupancy at a time. Stadiums (including indoors) and sport complexes can also be opened only for the practice of players. But only vaccinated people will be permitted to use these facilities.
Maximum 50 people will be allowed to attend a wedding ceremony or cremation/funeral, but DJ or band-baaja procession remain banned in wedding. People would have to inform the nearest police station three day before the wedding ceremony.
Ban will continue on all types of public events, both government and private. All types of social, political, entertainment, cultural, sports and religious events will remain prohibited.