Schools and gyms in the capital will be allowed to reopen, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority decided at a meeting on Friday. Single drivers who drive will also be exempt from wearing masks, the DDMA has decided. While gyms are allowed to open with some restrictions, educational institutions will reopen in stages. From February 7, students in grades 9-12 will begin physical education classes. The capital will continue to impose a curfew, but will allow an hour from 11pm instead of 10pm. Offices will be allowed to operate at 100% attendance.

For schools, DDMA rules do not allow unvaccinated teachers.

Friday’s meeting will discuss further reopenings after the DDMA agreed last week to lift the weekend curfew. The reopening of schools, gyms and the lifting of curfews are on the agenda, and on Thursday, the ministries of health and education approved the reopening of schools, authorizing the state government to make a final decision on reopening dates.

The phased reopening comes as Delhi’s daily case count has been falling after hitting a record high of 28,867 on January 13. The city had a positivity rate of 30.6% on Jan. 14, the highest current wave of the pandemic.

Gym owners in Delhi have been urging the reopening of some 5,500 gyms in Delhi, which employ around 100,000 workers. Recently, hundreds of gym owners staged a protest march against the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding that the department be ignored.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times