Bengaluru: Kindergarten classes suspended until further notice amid Coronavirus scare

The Department of Public Instruction in Bengaluru has ordered the shut down of all pre-KG, LKG and UKG classes until further notice. According to media reports, the order followed a request made by Pankaj Kumar Pandey who is a Commissioner of Department of Health and Family Welfare. Media reports suggested that the order applies to all government, aided and private schools in the state. 

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Karnataka's Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar confirmed the news through his Twitter handle where he said holidays have been declared for KJG/UKG classes in Bengaluru North, South & Rural Districts. The latest development came as a precautionary measure taken by the state government to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.

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As per reports, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam district administrations in Kerala have issued a similar order where it has stated that all Angadwadis, schools, colleges, polytechnic colleges will remain closed from March 9 to March 11. Kargil district in Ladakh also extended the winter vacation in the recently created union territory after a 76-year-old man died reportedly showing Coronavirus symptoms. The man had recently returned from virus-hit Iran. 

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The novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 3,800 lives across the globe and has infected over 1,09,000 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were being traded illegally as per reports. Italy reported over 133 deaths in a single day on March 8 since the outbreak escalated in the country. 

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Lead Image Credit: PTI