BIG UPDATE: Delhi schools may reopen in phased way from September 1

New Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday (August 27) has decided to reopen schools in a phased manner in the national capital from September 1 for classes 9 to 12, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physical classes for students of class 6 to class 8 will also begin from September 8. The decision was taken at a meeting of the DDMA held today to discuss the matter and take a final call on the reopening of educational institutes after the second wave of COVID-19 created a havoc.

The meeting was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Health Minsiter Satyendar Jain, NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul, All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Professor Balram Bhargava, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, and other senior officials.

After the first wave of COVID-19 hit the country in March last year, schools had reopened for classes 9 to 11 in Delhi on February 5, 2021, but they were again shut on April 9 after COVID-19 cases rose in the second wave of the pandemic. Delhi on Thursday reported 45 new COVID-19 cases, 21 recoveries and zero deaths. As per the media bulletin, there are 413 active cases. The positivity rate in the metro was reported to be 0.06 per cent.

The panel's suggestion on reopening schools came in the wake of a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Delhi, following a recent brutal second wave of the infection, which claimed many lives, with the shortage of oxygen at hospitals across the city adding to the woes.