Amid growing threat of new Covid-19 variant Omicron, Kerala education minister V Sivankutty on Thursday said there is no plan to shut schools now.
He said the government is in constant touch with experts and will go by their recommendations.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. As of now, there is no need to shut schools and colleges. The government will go by the advice of the core committee on pandemic and experts’ opinion,” he said in the state capital.
After neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka tightened measures to check the spread of the new variant, there was pressure on Kerala as well. Experts last week said night curfew would not do any good in Kerala as travel and movement during night hours was limited in the state.
On Thursday, the country witnessed a big jump in Omicron cases with highest single-day rise of 495, taking the total number of cases to 2630. Maharashtra topped with 797 cases, Delhi 465, Rajasthan 236 and Kerala 234. The country also reported highest number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, 90,928, the highest in six months.
On Thursday, the state reported 50 new cases of Omicron taking the total to 280. This is the highest single-day tally since the first case of Omicron was reported on December 7.
Of the new cases, 45 came from at-risk countries and 5 came from low- risk countries, said the minister. Among new cases, 18 are reported from Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram 8 and Pathanamthitta 7 cases. Among the 50 new cases, the maximum (13) came from the United Arab Emirates.
The minister asked people to continue to be careful. “The time is not right to lower our vigil. We have to ensure Covid-appropriate behavior strictly,” said the minister adding the state is well prepared with enough oxygen stock and beds. Experts have warned that Omicron cases would peak in the state in two months.
The government said it has taken enough precautions to meet the exigency. At least 98.6% of eligible population received the first dose of vaccine and 78% have received both.
