Odisha schools to reopen for classes 9-12 from November 16
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday decided to reopen schools for classes 9 to 12 from November 16. The government left it to the district administrations to decide on allowing devotees to temples.
The government said that while the academic institutions will continue to remain closed, the school and mass education department will soon release an SOP for classes of standards 9 to 12. The higher education institutions will be permitted to open only for research scholars and post-graduates in Science and Technology stream requiring laboratory and experimental work.
Removing the blanket ban on visitors to places of worship, the government left it to the district administrations and municipal commissioners to decide on reopening temples, mosques and churches in their jurisdiction by assessing the local situation. Government sources said that smaller temples are likely to be thrown open to the public while the decision in bigger shrines such as Jagannath temple in Puri and Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar may take time.
The government decided to keep cinema halls, entertainment complexes and swimming pools closed for now and review the situation again on November 16.
The government has also decided to somewhat relax the number of people allowed in marriages and funeral. Compared to a cap on gatherings of 50 in marriages till October end, the government has decided to allow 200 people. For funeral, the number has been increased from 20 to 50.