Bhubaneswar, Sep 18 (IANS): With the improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the State, the Odisha government has decided to start the physical classroom teaching for first year undergraduate (UG) students from September 20.

State higher education department principal secretary Saswat Mishra on Saturday asked the vice-chancellors (VCs) of all State-run universities and degree college principals to start the physical mode of teaching for students (both 3 year and 4 year UG courses) from September 20 following Covid safety guidelines.

All student hostels will be reopened on September 19 and all possible Covid-19 prevention protocols should be followed in the hostels, he said.

As per the order, the government has restricted students and teachers residing in containment zones from attending classes. All students and teachers have been advised to wear face masks and wash hands frequently.

"Social distancing shall be adopted in classrooms, libraries, laboratories, etc. If need be, crowded classes can be divided into batches and teaching hours in a day can be extended," Mishra directed in the letter.

Spitting on campus has been strictly prohibited. All the institutions have also been directed to keep an isolation room ready for any emergency.

A suitable decision on commencement of physical classes of first semester and first year classes of post-graduate (PG) courses will be taken later, he said.