Himachal closes all educational institutions till April 4

With the state witnessing a major spike in Coronavirous cases in the last few weeks, the Himachal Pradesh government on Friday ordered closure of all educational institutions including universities, colleges, schools and technical institutions till April 4.

The teachers and other school and college staff will continue to attend the institutes; nursing and medical institutes will continue to function as usual.

The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, to take a  stock of the Covid situation in the state.

According to an official spokesperson, the schools having residential facilities can keep their hostels open in strict compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to keep these residential areas isolated and appoint compliance officer for implementation of the orders.

The CM said  that no social and cultural events would be organised in the state by the government and gatherings would be restricted to a maximum of 200 for indoor and 50 per cent of the venue capacity for outdoor events.

The congregations and ‘langars’ inside the temples have  be banned, the ‘darshan’, however,  would be allowed.

The Chief Minister said April 3 would also be holiday for all offices in the state and there would be no public celebration of Holi. He urged the people to celebrate Holi at home with their families only.

The annual Holi festivals, being held in  Palampur, Hamirpur and Rampur, have been cancelled.