Telangana Ends Covid Lockdown, Says Schools, Colleges To Reopen From July

All educational institutions in Telangana will reopen from July 1 for physical classes, the K Chandrashekar Rao government said on Saturday as it announced the complete reopening of the state amid the receding second Covid wave.

"The Cabinet has instructed the Education department to reopen all categories of educational institutions in the state from July 1 with full preparedness, and the students are allowed to attend the classes physically," the government said in a statement.

"With the educational institutions getting reopened, the Cabinet has instructed the Education Department to prepare instructions and guidelines on compulsory attendance of the students, online classes and other related issues and release the same at the earliest," it added.

Schools and colleges across the country have largely remained shut since March last year because of the pandemic. They have been taking online classes of those who can afford expensive gadgets and Internet connection, while millions of students on the wrong side of the digital divide struggle to get education.

The Telangana government has ordered "all branches to lift all types of regulations imposed during the lockdown in full extent."

"The state cabinet has decided to lift the lockdown completely. The decision has been taken to lift the lockdown by examining the reports given by medical authorities that the number of corona cases, positivity percentage has decreased significantly, corona have come into full control," the Chief Minister's Office posted on Facebook.

Telangana on Friday reported case positivity of just 1.14 per cent. The number of daily cases was just over 1,400 in 24 hours, whereas the number of Covid-linked deaths was 12.

The reversing of the more virulent Covid wave has been attributed to the strict lockdown.

The K Chandrashekar Rao government had extended the lockdown on June 9 by 10 days. However, it had eased several restrictions as the wave showed signs of waning.

The second wave of the pandemic that has killed thousands of people over the last two months and has devastated the country's economy, is gradually receding from other parts of the country as well.

On Saturday, India reported 60,753 new cases and 1,647 deaths in 24 hours.

Many Covid-ravaged states like Maharashtra and Delhi have also relaxed the restrictions.

Experts have warned that a third wave of the coronavirus is inevitable and can hit the country in the coming months if anti-Covid rules are ignored.