Karnataka is set to reopen in-person classes for students between classes VI and VIII starting from September 6 as the state has reported a Covid-19 positivity rate of less than 1 percent. Classes will be reopened only in those districts with a positivity rate of less than 2 %.
The decision was taken after chief minister Basavaraj Bommai chaired a meeting with cabinet ministers and experts from the state government’s technical committee on Covid-19.
From August 23, the state government had allowed in-person classes for students studying in classes IX to XII (or Pre-university). Around 40 percent of students have opted to attend physical classes.
Similar to the higher classes, middle school students will attend sessions in batches with schools allowed to function at 50 % capacity. Students opting for in-person classes will attend classes on campus on alternative days. Classes will be conducted five days a week and the school must be sanitized on Saturdays and Sundays, the government order said.
Meanwhile, R Ashoka, revenue minister, said that the response to offline classes has been encouraging in government schools and student attendance is likely to pick up further.
With neighboring Kerala reporting a positivity rate of over 19 %, Ashoka said that a week-long institutional quarantine is mandated for anyone traveling from there to Karnataka. On the last day of the quarantine, they will be subjected to an RTPCR test. This mandate applies even to students.
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