Bhopal, Jul 14 (IANS): After the second wave of the Covid pandemic weakened in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to restart schools for class 11 and 12 students from July 26.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that from July 26, classes for students of 11 and 12 standard will start at fifty per cent capacity.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Chouhan said, "Covid is under control in the state, we are keeping an eye on the situation. All activities are being started. Preparations are afoot to deal with the third wave, taking utmost precautions. At the same time, due to the closure of schools and colleges, children are not able to study for a long time, as online and virtual classes cannot match the physical classes. Children are getting frustrated too. That is why we are starting the process of opening schools and colleges."

Chouhan said that in the first phase of opening of schools and colleges, classes for students of 11 and 12 will be started from July 26 with 50 per cent capacity. This means that out of the four days in a week, one batch would study on two days and the second batch on the remaining two days. This is because caution is necessary to avoid the third wave of the pandemic. For this, a strategy is being devised. If all goes well then other classes will also be started, he said.

Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing drastically low number of Covid cases for the last few weeks. The state witnessed about only 20 cases per day. Cities like Bhopal and Indore have also seen a declining trend recently.