Bangladesh reopens schools, colleges after 18 months as COVID cases continue to dip 

Schools and colleges in Bangladesh have reopened after being closed for more than a year as the number of new COVID-19 cases have continues to dip.

Educational institutions in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country reopened cautiously with strict COVID-19 protocols in place, including wearing face masks and limited seating capacity for social distancing in classrooms, reports Xinhua news agency.

In an effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, Bangladesh closed all the educational institutions in March last year.

After visiting an institution in Dhaka on Sunday, Education Minister Dipu Moni warned of stern action against those violating the COVID-19 protocols. She had said earlier that only candidates of public examinations would attend classes every day after the reopening. Students of other classes would have in-person classes once or twice every week, the Minister added.

The Bangladesh government announced the reopening of schools and colleges in the country from September 12 after a closure of around 18 months as COVID-19 cases began to fall. The government had earlier announced reopening of the universities in the country from October 15.

Since March last year, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district and the total number of cases has risen to 1,530,413, with 26,931 deaths so far.

Bangladesh reported 1,871 new COVID-19 cases and 51 new deaths on Sunday, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. The country had recorded the highest daily new cases of 16,230 on July 28 and the highest number of 264 deaths twice on August 5 and August 10.