Siliguri: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that schools and colleges will reopen in the state on November 15.
Banerjee instructed the Chief Secretary to reopen schools from November 15. The instruction was given during an administrative meeting in Uttarkanya here.
From March 16 last year, all educational institutions were closed due to the surge in Coronavirus infections.
The Chief Minister initially directed schools and colleges to remain closed till March 31. But with the caseload continuing to remain so high, they stayed shut.
Schools and colleges have been facing multiple infrastructural problems due to the closure of schools for a long time. Schools across West Bengal will reopen following the Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) from November 15 onwards. It is expected, that students and faculties members will have to get vaccinated before the reopening of the schools.
Schools are required to follow all COVID-19 protocols while reopening like ensuring the regular sanitization of the classroom, maintaining social distancing, thermal guns to monitor the temperature of students, and various others.
The chief minister, on a five-day visit to north Bengal, held the administrative meeting here.
Banerjee will proceed towards Kurseong tomorrow. She will be there on Tuesday and Wednesday and hold meetings with administrative officials of the Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts.
Later, the chief minister will go to Goa from North Bengal.
