Shillong: The Meghalaya government on Thursday extended the winter vacation for schools till January 24 following the detection of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the state and for preventing further spread of the viral infection, the education minister Lahkmen Rymbui said on Thursday.
The schools were earlier scheduled to open from January 10.
“We have decided to extend the winter vacation for schools till January 24 due to the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases and detection of Omicron variant in the state, and to ensure the safety and security of the students,” said the Meghalaya minister.
The state on Thursday recorded 90 new cases of COVID-19 infection, of which 70 are in East Khasi hills district, which includes state capital Shillong. The number of active cases has now mounted to 212.
Rymbui stressed the need for the COVID-19 vaccination to prevent any further spread of the viral infection. “COVID-19 is always one step ahead of whatever is being planned to contain it. Therefore, the best solution is to help ourselves by getting ourselves vaccinated to prevent infection,” the Education Minister said.