West Bengal’s Chief Secretary, HK Dwivedi, announced on January 2, 2021, that all schools, colleges, and other educational institutions will be closed from tomorrow, January 2, 2021. In the context of the current COVID-19 and Omicron crisis, this is one of many actions outlined by the state administration today.

According to a government statement, the decision to close schools was made after analyzing the present Covid situation in the state and amid fears about the first-spreading Omicron variant.

According to the government order, academic endeavors in schools, colleges, and universities must be suspended.  Only authoritative operations with 50 percent of staff at a time must be authorized. 

West Bengal is the country’s second state to close down all educational institutions this month. To stop the spread of the new type, the Delhi government decided to halt all educational institutions earlier this week.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee instructed authorities to evaluate the state’s current COVID-19 situation on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, and advised that schools and universities may be closed for a period of time if the circumstances require it.

In the meeting, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal informed officials that, instances of COVID-19 are on the rise, and there are some Omicron cases as well. So, she will take a look at the state’s predicament and for a while, they might reconsider closing schools and colleges for a long period of time.

On December 31, 2021, the West Bengal School Education Department requested that teachers and non-teaching employees with a cough, cold, or slight fever refrain from attending classes until they have tested negative for COVID-19.

Yesterday, on January 1, 2022, West Bengal reported 4,512 new COVID-19 cases. The state has 13,300 active cases, which is the third-highest number in the country following Maharashtra and Kerala.

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