Mumbai Schools Closed for Class 1 to 9 and Class 11 Students till 31st January amid Omicron Surge, confirms BMC Commissioner

Mumbai Schools Closed due to COVID-19 Surge: With cases in Mumbai City multiplying at a rapid rate, Mumbai Municipal Corporation has ordered closure of primary schools across the city keeping safety of the students in mind. Earlier, Primary and Upper Primary Schools for Class 1 to 8 students in the city were slated to reopen from 3^rd January – Monday, which has now been deferred until the month end. With schools closed yet again, teachers have been asked again to switch back to online classes and virtual learning platforms for primary and upper primary students.

BMC Commissioner Confirms School Closure

The news about Mumbai Primary Schools being closed due to Omicron surge and rapid rise in COVID Case numbers has been confirmed by BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal to a leading media outlet in an interview. Speaking to the media outlet, Mumbai Municipal Corporation head said that “in light of the speed at which Covid-19 cases are growing in Mumbai, the decision to open physical school for classes 1st to 8th grade has been postponed to 31st Jan”.

Vaccination Drive for Students Above Class 9

Another key piece of information shared by Mr Iqbal was regarding BMC’s plan to conduct rapid vaccination drive for Students between age group of 15 to 18 years. During the interview, BMC commissioner noted that students above Class 9 will be allowed to visit schools primary for vaccination drive and following that only offline or physical classes will resume for them. Currently, Mumbai has around 4.5 Lakh children who fall between 15 to 18 years age group and BMC plans to vaccinate all of them by end of January 2022.

COVID Positivity Rate at 17% on 2^nd January

Mumbai is among the worst affected cities due to the Omicron variant of the COVID-19. On 2^nd January – Sunday, the financial capital of the country witnessed COVID-19 positivity rate of over 17% with over 8000+ fresh cases being registered within 24 hours. As per official sources, a majority of cases being identified during the current surge are of Omicron variant, which is a cause for concern for the civic body. With cases doubling every 3-4 days, Mumbai is looking at 15,000 fresh cases daily in coming week.

Also Read: Closing of Schools: Many States Close Schools Due To Omicron, Check State-Wise Updates Here