Meghalaya to reopen education and tourism sectors from Sept 1

The decision will remain with school or college management if they want to open and it would be upto the students whether they want to attend classes. Attendance won’t be mandatory,” said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma,
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SHILLONG:

With the Covid-19 positivity rate declining in the state, the Meghalaya government on Thursday decided to reopen the education and tourism sectors from September 1. 

"We feel that students have suffered a lot. Therefore, we will be re-opening the educational institutes in a phase-wise manner. The decision will remain with school or college management if they want to open and it would be upto the students whether they want to attend classes. Attendance won’t be mandatory,” said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, adding that's as flexible as it can get. “We are opening up because we feel that we need to start living with this situation. We need to adapt to this situation and move forward," he added. 

For schools in urban areas, there will be a partial reopening of the institutes. For Class 1 to Class 5, online learning will continue; for Class 6 to Class 8, there will be school visits, and for Class 9 to Class 12, classes will resume, subject to protocols. In rural areas, for Class 1 to Class 5, there will be school visits; for Class 6 to Class 12, classroom learning will resume, subject to strict adherence to protocols. 

The government has also decided to reopen the tourism sector from September 1. "The tourists will have to be fully vaccinated. And those, who have received a single dose, will have to produce a negative RTPCR, TrueNat, or CBNAAT report, which will be valid if they have been tested within 72 hours before the arrival at the entry point," Sangma said. 

The tourists will also have to generate E-invite for entry into Meghalaya through an app of the Meghalaya tourism department.

It is also mandatory that the tourists who come with bookings in any hotel, homestay, or guesthouse, declaration of the complete itinerary should be listed. Tourists who would be staying as guests of any family or friend in Meghalaya shall declare the full address and contact details of the family or friend.

Local tourists who are not vaccinated will have to produce negative RTPCR, TrueNat, or CBNAAT reports before checking into any hotel or visiting any tourist spot.

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