Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced the resumption of high schools - Classes 9-12 - from August 23.
The government also decided to impose a night curfew across the state starting 9 pm till 5 am everyday. At present, Karnataka has a night curfew daily that starts 10 pm to 5 am. It has now been advanced by an hour.
A decision on resuming primary schools has been deferred till the last week of August to factor in the possible third wave of Covid-19 and the way the infection is likely to spread.
“We have decided to reopen schools in two phases,” Bommai said after a meeting of experts, ministers and officials. “In the first phase, Classes 9-12 will start from August 23 subject to conditions. There will be two batches of students - the first batch will have classes for three days and the second batch on another three days,” he said. “In effect, students will have classes on alternate days.”
The government will decide on resuming classes up to Class 8 based on the projections for the third wave of the pandemic and its intensity. “Experts said this will be decided in the last week of August,” Bommai said.
Concerned over the spread of the virus from the neighbouring Kerala and Maharashtra, all Karnataka districts bordering the two states will have a weekend curfew, Bommai said, adding that a detailed order would be issued soon.
The meeting was attended by Narayana Health chief Dr Devi Shetty who heads a task force to prepare for the third wave of Covid-19, cardiologist Dr CN Manjunath, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and other ministers.