Goa: Schools to remain shut till February 15, but teachers have to go

PANAJI: The state government on Sunday extended the closure of schools and colleges till February 15 in view of the rise in Covid-19 cases.
As per the new order issued by revenue secretary Sanjay Kumar, schools shall be closed for students till February 15, but teachers will have to go to school to conduct online classes.
The order also stated that colleges and other institutions of higher education shall be closed for students till February 15 except for the conduct of examinations.Here too, teachers will have to report to the institute to conduct online classes.
Also, the order has stated that public gatherings in case of indoor halls, auditoriums, community halls, mandaps, open spaces, etc, shall be restricted to a maximum of 50% of the seating or venue capacity, or as per the limit imposed by the Election Commission, whichever is less.
The state has also said that those who wish to enter Goa must possess a vaccination certificate of both doses, and that 15 days must have elapsed from the last dose. Those who don’t possess this can still enter if they can produce a negative RT-PCR report of a test done not more than 72 hours before entry.
“Any person contravening this order shall be punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005,” Kumar said.
Cinema halls, river cruises, waterparks and entertainment parks shall not operate beyond 50% of the seating capacity, the order stated. Casinos, too, may operate only up to 50% of their capacity, subject to adherence to all Covid safety protocols, including use of masks, sanitisers, thermal screening.