Goa schools, colleges closed till January 26 amid COVID-19 surge post New Year celebrations

Amid the current surge of COVID-19 cases being witnessed in Goa after the New Year celebrations, the state government has decided to shut down all the schools and colleges in the state. The educational institutes will remain closed in Goa till January 26.

According to the state government order, the schools are being closed for the students of classes 8 to 12 in Goa amid the recent COVID-19 surge. The physical classes have been suspended but online classes will continue to take place, the order said.

The circular issued by Goa Education Director Bhushan Savaikar states, “As Covid-19 cases are rising in the state, it is decided by the competent authority that the educational institutions from Std VIII and XII will remain closed with immediate effect up to January 26.”

As per IANS reports, the circular further added, “The students in the age group of 15 to 18 years of St. IX to XII may be called in the school for vaccination purposes only by following Covid-19 appropriate behavior.” The classes will be continued in an online format, it states.

The decision regarding the closure of educational institutes was taken in Goa after a review meeting was conducted by the COVID-19 Task Force. After the meeting, Dr Shekhar Salkar, a member of the Task Force announced that the schools and colleges in Goa are being closed till January 26.

In view of the surge in COVID-19 cases witnessed, the Goa government also decided to impose a night curfew in the state on Monday from 11 pm to 6 am. The spike in daily COVID-19 cases was witnessed in Goa after thousands of people were seen celebrating New Year’s Eve in public places.

On Tuesday, Goa registered 592 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the total coronavirus tally reached 1,82,793. According to the health department, the death toll in the state now stands at 3,525.