UP govt issues Unlock 4.0 guidelines; schools, colleges to remain closed till 30 September

Lucknow: All schools, colleges and educational institutes in Uttar Pradesh will remain closed till 30 September, the state government said on Sunday, a day after the Union home ministry issued the Unlock 4.0 guidelines. Chief Secretary RK Tiwari said online and distance learning will be encouraged. Metro trains will be allowed to resume from 7 September in a phased manner, an official order said. For this, the standard operating procedure will be issued separately. Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, auditoriums and similar places will remain closed. However, open-air theatres will be allowed to open from 21 September. The coronavirus induced country-wide lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 25 March and it was extended in phases till 31 May. The Unlock process of the country had begun on 1 June with the graded reopening of commercial, social, religious and other activities. Unlock 4 will come into effect from 1 September and will continue till 30 September. The lockdown in containment zones in the state will remain in place till 30 September, the order said, adding that the district magistrate cannot impose lockdown at the local level. There will be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement, it said. From 21 September onwards, 50 percent of the teaching and non-teaching staff can be called for online education work. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will issue the standard operating procedure for this. Students of classes 9 to 12 who are living outside containment zones can be permitted to seek the guidance of their teachers for which they will need a written permission of their parents.