Karnataka government decided to reopen colleges from November 17. The colleges had been directed to strictly follow the rules and guidelines issued by the union government. “We have to ensure the safety of students and teachers. The virus is very much amidst us. Hence, we need to take the decision after much deliberation,” said the government in a notice.
The government has assured that they have done all the necessary preparations for the safety of teachers and students in colleges and they have directed all the institutions to follow the SOPs set by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The schools and colleges have been shut due to COVID-19 since the lockdown was imposed in March. The government took the decision of opening colleges because it’s the first time in the last few months that active cases are lower than 1 lakh in the state.
Earlier, the Karnataka government held a meeting with public organizations to discuss the reopening of schools and colleges in the state.
Dr. Sharath Chand S, IAP vice-president of the Bengaluru division, said, “Kids will not be able to follow wearing of masks and social distancing in schools. If one child contracts the virus, the entire family, including parents and grandparents, will be affected. This will create a burden on health infrastructure. Children are fragile and COVID-19 will increase their mortality as well as morbidity, although until now we have fortunately seen most kids remaining asymptomatic, on testing positive.”
After a long discussion, the government decided to reopen the colleges from next month.
