Government mulling opening of Higher Education Institutes with limited vaccinated staff and students.

The government is pondering over opening of higher educational institutes with limited vaccinated staff and students.

The State Executive Committee (SEC) in an order said, “All schools including coaching centers shall continue to remain closed for on-site or in-person teaching till further orders.”

“However, the higher education institutes can be permitted to commence with limited in-person teaching subject to 100 percent vaccination of staff and students and specific permission of Deputy Commissioners (DCs),” reads the order.

The government also said that the educational institutions can organize special vaccination camps in consultation with the administration and other educational institutions can allow attendance of vaccinated staff for administrative purpose.

The SEC further said that the entry into parks will be permitted to vaccinated persons only with due verification.

Besides, the government said that the night curfew shall continue to remain in force in all districts from 8 pm to 7 am.

It also reads that the protocol of testing, tracking and treating, besides vaccination, needs to be strengthened in these blocks. “The proportion of RT-PCR tests in the total mix should be scaled up on a best effort basis, to 70 percent or more excluding the travelers,” the government said.

“Positive cases so detected as a result of intensive testing need to be isolated or quarantined at earliest and their contacts should also be traced at the earliest and similarly isolated or quarantined and tested, if needed,” SEC said.

It also said that a quick isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients shall be ensured in treatment facilities, hospitals or homes.