The Primary and Secondary Education Department extended the ban on offline classes for classes 1 to 9 till January 31, keeping in mind the increasing Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru.

However, online or virtual classes will continue as usual.

Education Minister BC Nagesh held a high-level meeting with the Health Department, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Urban district officials and reviewed the Covid scenario in the city.

“Currently, there is a ban on holding offline classes till January 17th. But keeping in mind the rising coronavirus cases in Bengaluru, we have decided to extend the ban till January 31st. This applies to students from Class 1 to Class 9 of all private and public schools affiliated to various boards. We will again review the scenario in the last week of January and accordingly take a decision,” the education minister said.

The minister also said that infections and positivity rate are low in rural areas compared to District headquarters and towns. “After Bengaluru, districts such as Mysuru and Belagavi reported the highest infection rate. The other districts have hitherto reported low infection rate,” the minister clarified.