Tamil Nadu logs 1,592 fresh COVID-19 infections
The Hindu
Five districts account for nearly 45% of cases; 18 more persons succumb to the virus
As many as 1,592 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Five districts — Coimbatore, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Erode and Tiruvallur — accounted for nearly 45% of the fresh cases. Fresh infections continued to fluctuate in some parts. The day’s count was a small rise from 1,575 the previous day. While the daily tally stood at 229 in Coimbatore, there were 165 fresh cases in Chennai. In Chengalpattu, infections rose from 99 the previous day to 127. There were 104 cases in Erode, while Tiruvallur saw 84.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.