New Delhi: Come September 7, the Metro Rail network, which had to down the shutters on it''s services across the country nearly five months ago, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, will again run on the tracks, while the schools and colleges to remain closed till September 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Saturday, while issuing the Unlock 4 guidelines.
According to the Unlock 4 norms, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) and the Ministry of Railways (MoR), in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the operation of Metro services. After extensive consultation with the States and Union Territories (UTs), it has been decided that Schools, Colleges, educational and coaching institutions will continue to remain closed for the students and regular class activity up to September 30. Online or distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.
The new guidelines, however, allowed from September 21 certain activities outside the ''Containment Zones'' that the States/ UTs may permit up to 50 per cent of teaching and non-teaching staff to be called to the schools at a time for online teaching/ tele-counselling and related work.
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