Parents' associations have threatened protests if the Maharashtra government decides to shut down schools again. The warning came after Maharashtra's Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that if there is a rise in cases of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, the administration might decide to shut down schools again. This, after 490 new infections were reported in the state, amidst 1201 new recorded cases. This means that Maharashtra has recorded an increase of 160 cases in a day. However, no new Omicron case was reported.
Schools for Classes I-VII had reopened just eight days ago on December 15 after almost a 20-month gap due to the pandemic. Even as parents were wary about the gradual increase in cases, including the detection of the Omicron variant in the state, they sent students to schools to avoid any further learning loss. High school and colleges had reopened in September. Children returned to school only after receiving consent from their parents. Strength had remained low in the first few days, with apprehensions still abound. Some parents were also of the opinion that schools shouldn't reopen unless students are vaccinated.
