Pune Schools Closed for Class 1 to 8 Students until 30th January, confirms Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Pune School Closed Update: Following the recent rise in the COVID-19 case numbers, Schools in Pune have been ordered to close down for students of primary classes with immediate effect. The decision to close down primary schools in Pune was taken at a high-level review meeting held on 4^th January 2022. Following the meeting, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that schools in Pune will be closed for classes 1 to 8 till January 30, 2022. The decision will be applicable to Pune district including limits of municipal corporation Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad.

Offline Classes for Senior Students to Continue

In the announcement made by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, only primary classes i.e. Class 1 to 8 were mentioned and there was no mention of schools closing down for higher classes. This means that physical or offline classes for senior students are going to continue as they were being held earlier. A tweet by ANI news agency also confirmed this as it said "Physical classes for 1 to 8 standard will be closed till 30th January in Pune district including limits of municipal corporation Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad. The school classes will continue in online mode: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar."

Pune reports 1100 new cases, New Restrictions Likely

As per media reports, on 4^th January, Pune reported a total of 1100 new COVID-19 cases. With the rapid rise in the coronavirus cases in the city, the overall case positivity rate in Pune District has reached a shocking 18%, which is even higher than Mumbai or any other part of Maharashtra. With such rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, it is likely that the city may see new restrictions and lockdown measures being imposed in the coming days. More details on COVID curbs in Pune will be announced soon. 

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh schools closed for students until class 10 from January 6 to 14, New COVID restrictions introduced