Thiruvananthapuram: Amid growing concerns regarding the recent surge in COVID cases in Kerala, fueled in part by Omicron, the new variant of coronavirus deemed more contagious than the others, Education Minister V Sivankutty made it plain that the state is not looking to close schools at the moment.
Expert opinion will be sought if it is seen that cases are showing an upward trend, the minister said.
He also added that the report of the Khader Committee on School Education Reform will be implemented in a timely manner.
Many states including neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have reported a surge in cases in recent days. Many have imposed strict curbs to mitigate this growing crisis.
On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu government reintroduced Sunday lockdowns and imposed new restrictions on educational institutions and places of worship.
It has been reported that not only is Omicron more contagious, but it is also capable of overwhelming defences provided by known vaccines.
On Thursday, India saw the biggest single-day jump of 495 Omicron cases, taking the total number of Omicron cases to 2,630.
Of the total cases, Maharashtra has the maximum at 797, followed by Delhi at 465, Rajasthan 236, Kerala 234, Karnataka 226, Gujarat 204 and Tamil Nadu 121.
The country reported nearly 1 lakh new coronavirus infections (90,928) on Thursday, the highest in over 200 days, and 325 new deaths.
The number of active cases in the country stands at 2,85,401, the Health Ministry informed.