Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday allowed re-opening of schools for classes 9th to 12th from September 1 with COVID-19 protocols and teachers along with other staff to be fully vaccinated.

Classes for the 9th, 10th, 11 the and 12th standards shall be permitted to be conducted in all the schools (Government, Government aided and private) with effect from September 1, 2021, said the statement released by the Office of the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Chennai on Tuesday.

The classes will be opened with 50% of students at a time by duly following the appropriate standard operating procedures, said the statement of purpose.

In this regard, all the Deputy Directors of Health Services are instructed to coordinate with the School authorities to ensure that schools are re-opening duly following Standard Operating Procedures related to re-opening of schools. further stated the SOP.

This new order has been passed after Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state.

SoPs along with IEC materials to be shared with school management for development and display. Sanitizers/Soap with water to be made available by the concerned authorities, it said.

Screening of entire school children and teachers to be done in a week’s time using RBSK team, if needed other PHC team may be mobilized. Screening of school children should include co-morbidity.

Vaccination of teachers and other staff who are working in the school should be fully vaccinated.

All students with the eligible age groups for vaccination should be vaccinated.

Symptomatic students/teachers or staff shall not be allowed inside the campus.

Sufficient quantity of Vitamin C, Multivitamin tablets and other immuno-boosters to be given to children.

Tamil Nadu reported 1,797 new COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday while the number of COVID-19 positive patients discharged following treatment today is 1,908. The total number of deaths reported on Wednesday is 31.

The total number of active cases as of today is 20,083.