Unlock4 Guidelines: School, colleges continue to remain shut. (Representational)
School, colleges and other educational institutions will continue to remain closed for students, said the Centre on Saturday as it issued guidelines for the month-long fourth phase of easing down the COVID-19 restrictions - "Unlock4" - beginning September 1.
The Home Ministry, issuing the guidelines, announced opening up of more activities, such as resumption of Metro train services and open air theatres. The re-opening of activities will only be allowed in areas outside the Containment Zones, said the Ministry.
The Centre has allowed the states and Union Territories to permit upto 50 per cent of its teaching and non-teaching staff to be called to the schools for online teaching and related work. States can also permit students of classes nine to 12 to visit their schools, in areas outside the containment zones only, said the government order.
The Centre, however, has allowed reopening of higher education institutions only for research scholars and post-graduate students of technical and professional programmes requiring laboratory or experimental works.
The Unlock3 guidelines issued on July 29 had allowed opening of yoga institutes and gymnasiums and removed restrictions on movement of individuals during night curfew.
In its latest order, the States have been asked not to impose any local lockdown outside Containment Zones.
India's COVID-19 numbers rose to 34,63,972 with a single-day spike of 76,472 new infections, while the death count climbed to 62,550 with 1,021 people succumbing to the highly-contagious disease in 24 hours, the government data this morning showed.