Schools, colleges and coaching institutes in Delhi can re-open from Monday, the Delhi government decided in a meeting today. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority, or DDMA, also allowed gyms, swimming pools and spas to re-open next week.
The duration of night curfew has been reduced by an hour; it's now from 11 pm to 5 am. Earlier, night curfew started from 10 pm.
Schools can re-open in phases - Classes 9 to 12 can run from February 7 - and teachers who aren't vaccinated can't take classes. Classes from nursery to 8 will resume from February 14, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
Offices can work with 100 per cent attendance and people driving cars alone need not wear masks.
The national capital's decision to ease restrictions and allow schools and colleges to re-open comes a day after the centre said COVID-19 cases and positivity rate, or the number of people infected every 100 tests, have started falling.
The decisions were taken based on expert advice amid consistent fall in positivity rate and COVID-19 number. During the DDMA meeting, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, emphasis was given on enhancing vaccination for 15-18 age group.
Daily COVID-19 cases in India in the two weeks between January 21 and February 3 have fallen by 50 per cent from 3,47,254 to 1,72,433.
During the same period, positivity rate or the number of infections per 100 tests fell by 39 per cent from 17.94 per cent to 10.99 per cent, which shows a clear decline in daily positivity rate indicating decreased spread of COVID-19 infection.
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