Bengal schools, colleges to reopen on February 3 – Times of India

Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said flights from Delhi and Mumbai will be allowed to operate daily, instead of thrice a week.

The ban on flights from the UK to Kolkata was also lifted but passengers need to undergo RT-PCR tests, she said.

The government also allowed 75 per cent workforce to attend office, both government and private, instead of the earlier 50 per cent.

The night restriction on movement of people was reduced by an hour and will now be in force from 11 pm to 5 am, Banerjee said.

Cinema Halls and auditoriums were allowed to host shows with 75 per cent capacity, she said.

Metro and local train services were also permitted to operate with 75 per cent of the seating capacity, she said.

“COVID-19 situation in Bengal has improved. Schools will reopen on February 3 for classes 8 to 12. Colleges, universities, polytechnics and ITIs will also restart offline classes on the same day. We are not reopening primary schools right now,” Banerjee said.

“We will decide on reopening primary schools later,” she said, adding that students of standards 5 to 7 will be taught through ‘Paray Sikshalay’ (neighbourhood classes) programme from February 1.

All sports activities, cultural, administrative and social programmes, weddings and other social functions will be allowed with 75 per cent of the venue capacity, she said.

Parks, zoos, museums and tourist places were also allowed to reopen with 75 per cent capacity, Banerjee said.

Salons and beauty parlours, gyms, spa and wellness centres were also allowed to operate with 75 per cent capacity.

The new rules will come into effect on Tuesday and remain in place till February 15, she said.

Banerjee said on February 16, the government will hold a meeting with the industry bodies.

Following the announcement, a notification was issued by the Higher Education Department, asking heads of universities and colleges to make their campuses ready by February 2 so that classes can resume the next day.

Hostels can also be opened, it said.

In another notification, the School Education Department directed the district magistrates to ensure that by February 2 the schools are sanitised.

Students’ organisations that were demanding reopening of schools and colleges welcomed the government’s announcement but said that the decision was taken under pressure.

SFI state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said the government has finally responded to the just demand after “playing with the future of lakhs of students”.

“For airing the demands of ordinary students, our activists were beaten up and arrested by the police over the last few days,” he alleged.

Bhattacharya said the government should now ensure that classes are held with all COVID safety guidelines.

The ABVP said the state government unnecessarily delayed making a simple decision, which would benefit students.

“Even today, at least 18 ABVP activists were taken into custody when they were going to meet Education Minister Bratya Basu in Bikash Bhavan to raise our demands. They just wanted the government to know how the students were suffering as schools and colleges were closed,” ABVP national secretary Saptarshi Sarkar told PTI.

The Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) said the chief minister took a timely and appropriate decision.

“The ‘Paray Sikshalay’ programme and normal classes in schools will now be held simultaneously,” said TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya.