Bengal govt announces closure of all schools & colleges till March 31 as COVID-19 precaution

The West Bengal government on Saturday announced that all government, government-aided and private educational institutions will remain closed from March 16 to March 31 as a precaution to check the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19 ).

This includes all schools, colleges, universities, madrasas, shishu shiksha kendra (SSK) and madhyamik shiksha kendra (MSK). The government issued a notification on this.

Internal exams of these institutions will also remain suspended during this time, the notification said. However, the ongoing board exams in these institutions will take place as scheduled.

The state government in the notification said the precaution was being taken “in view of the evolving situation on the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the advisories issued by WHO, UN and Central government and as a matter of abundant precaution to check its spread in the State of West Bengal.

Several schools are already closed during this time due to the sessions break. Some others have already closed their schools and colleges as precaution. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has suspended classes, seminars and other programs inside the campus till March 31. The authorities have arranged for online classes during this duration. Indian Institute of Engineering Science And Technology (IIEST) Shibpur has postponed the sports and other events inside the campus till further notice.

Several other governments have taken similar measures, closing schools and some private companies issuing directives to work from home.

There have been two deaths from Coronavirus in India with 83 confirmed cases.

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