A.P. witnesses lowest daily COVID-19 tally in 187 days
The Hindu
Virus claims six more lives; 618 infections reported in 24 hours
The State reported six deaths due to COVID-19 and 618 infections in the 24 hours ending Monday. The daily tally was the lowest in the past 187 days. The number of samples tested at 38,069 was also the lowest in the past 160 days. The cumulative tally increased to 20,47,459 and the toll reached 14,142.
The number of active cases came down to12,482 as 1,178 patients recovered in the past day. The total recoveries and recovery rate stands at 20,20,835 and 98.70%. The active cases tally was below 13,000 for the first time in 175 days.
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.