As the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Telangana, the TRS government has decided to temporarily close all the educational institutions and attached hostels in Telangana from tomorrow, March 24. The necessary orders have already been issued.
In her statement on the matter, Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy today said, "Since there has been a significant rise in the number of Covid-19 cases across the nation and in Telangana, with sporadic cases being reported in the state's educational institutions, we have decided to temporarily close all private and government educational institutions. This has been done as the intermingling of large numbers of students may well cause the coronavirus to spread further. Many parents concerned by the health of their children had also pointed out the need for this closure. However, medical colleges will continue to function. Now, all the schools and colleges, and the people of the state must follow all the required safety guidelines to do their bit to prevent another wave of Covid-19. We must all continuously wear masks, sanitise our hands and practice social distancing."
The announcement follows a high-level meeting of the concerned government officials on the matter. The officials reviewed the situation in the country and the troubling rise of cases in Telangana's neighbouring states before issuing the closure notice.
(Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had already
addressed the issue earlier, and had assured the parents of the state's students that the government would be taking a call on whether to stop on-site classes in the face of the surge in Covid-19 cases soon.)
Several other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, have already directed their educational institutions to temporarily suspend on-site classes.