Ahmedabad, November 19: Schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Gujarat will remain closed till further orders, as the government has rescinded the decision that permitted the reopening from November 23. Citing the recent COVID-19 surge, the state government announced on Friday that schools would not restart from next week. Gujarat Govt Imposes 'Complete Curfew' in Ahmedabad From 9 PM Tomorrow Till 6 AM on November 23; Milk and Medicine Stores Exempted.

"Schools, colleges in Gujarat not to reopen from November 23 due to the current COVID-19 situation," the Gujarat government said, in an order issued on Friday. The directive came shortly after the state reported 1,340 new infections in the last 24 hours, along with seven deaths due to the contagious disease.

Update by ANI

The maximum surge of COVID-19 infections is being witnessed in Ahmedabad. The biggest city of Gujarat contributes to nearly one-fifth of the daily count of infections. On Thursday, the authorities reported 246 new cases in Ahmedabad district - 230 in urban areas and 16 from the rural localities. Three deaths were also reported.

To curb the pace of virus transmission in the city, a "complete curfew" would be imposed beginning from 9 pm tomorrow. The curfew would continue till 6 am on November 23. Only shops selling milk and medicine stores would be exempted, the government said.

Apart from Gujarat, other states are also reconsidering the decision on operation of schools and colleges. In Haryana, pressure has been mounted on the state government as a number of school students have tested positive for coronavirus. In Rewari district, 72 students of 12 government schools were detected with COVID-19 earlier this week. The government has, for now, decided to shut down only those schools whose students were diagnosed with the disease.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 19, 2020 11:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).