COLOMBO, Jan 26 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lankan authorities re-opened schools in the Western Province yesterday, for senior grades, after shutting them down since Oct last year, due to a vast spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported here.
The Education Ministry said, schools re-opened for students who would be sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level examinations in Mar, under strict health guidelines imposed by the Health Ministry.
All classrooms were disinfected on Sunday, while students were informed to wear masks and maintain social distance.
However, schools in areas declared as isolated, due to the virus spread, would continue to remain closed.
The Education Ministry said, 79,000 students from the Western Province will appear for the exam, which will be held in Mar, and the decision to re-open schools was taken to expedite their missed studies.
Sri Lanka’s Western Province was declared as a hot bed by the health authorities, since a second wave of the pandemic swept through the country in early Oct.
Sri Lanka detected 58,430 infected patients, out of which 49,684 had recovered and discharged from hospitals, bringing down the patient count to 8,463.
A total of 283 deaths have been reported.– NNN-XINHUA
