The Chief Minister has told people not to panic over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and urged them to be constantly vigilant and observe appropriate steps.
Schools and educational institutions in Telangana are to remain closed from January 8 to January 16, according to a directive issued from the Chief Minister’s Office on Monday, January 2, a report in india.com says.
This decision was taken at a meeting convened by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to review the pandemic situation in view of the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across Telangana.
The CMO Directive said: “Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao has directed all educational institutions in the state to declare a holiday from January 8 to January 16”.
Schools and colleges in Telangana had reopened about 2 months back with COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
However, since the country started reporting a spread of Omicron infections, people of the state started protesting against offline classes, and demanding complete closure of schools.
The Chief Minister has directed State Health Minister Harish Rao and medical officers to strengthen all types of infrastructure in government hospitals in the state and equip existing beds, oxygen beds, medicines and testing kits as required.
He urged the people not to panic over the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and instead urged them to be constantly vigilant and observe precautionary steps like wearing masks and following COVID-19 guidelines issued by the government, the CMO said.
Meanwhile, Telangana on Monday reported 482 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections in the state to 6,82,971. The death toll in the state rose to 4,031 with one more new fatality.
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