Come September and Tamil Nadu will reopen its schools for students of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12, maintaining a 50 per cent capacity at a given time. The students, teachers and staff will be required to follow all the COVID-related SOPs laid down by the centre and state. 

This was decided after a high-level meeting that was chaired by the state's Chief Minister M K Stalin. "A team of medical experts at the meeting recommended that due to the amount of time that children have not been attending school for over a year, a large number of them have been afflicted by mental and emotional problems," said a statement by the Tamil Nadu government.

The high-level committee also informed the CM that though online classes have been held, large sections of childrne are still unable to access the online classes in a useful manner. "Based on their advice, the CM has ordered that from September 1, classes for students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 will begin with 50 per cent capacity," the statement said.

Medical, nursing colleges to reopen from August 16

From 16 Aug, all medical, nursing, paramedical and all allied institutions in the state will also have permission to conduct classes in person. The SOPs and detainled rules will be given shortly. The government sources said that this is being done because medical stduents, professors and health workers are among the first to be vaccinated.