Maharashtra's capital city Mumbai is all set to reopen and resume offline classes for students starting today (October 20, 2021). Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as colleges in the city resume, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also issued certain guidelines for students to keep coronavirus cases in check.
Notably, colleges in Mumbai have been closed off for more than a year and some, since the pandemic began in March 2020. In some rural parts, classes did begin in February this year, however, colleges will properly start operating in Mumbai from today.
BMC has informed students that they should wait for a green signal from their respective colleges before starting college as the institutes may take some time for preparation.
Mumbai College Reopening: Guidelines issued by BMC
- Classes to be filled only at 50% capacity at a time, no crowding.
- It is advisable, as of now, to only allow fully vaccinated students to attend college. For students who are below 18 years of age, this rule does not apply.
- If a student is not fully vaccinated but still wants to attend college then it is the principal's responsibility to connect with the closest ward office and set up a vaccination camp in the campus.
- Students can choose to attend online classes. Attendance has not been made mandatory yet.
- Teaching will be carried out in a blended mode - both online and offline.
It is important to note that colleges in Mumbai will be reopening only for PG students for the time being. There is no specific rule set, however, many colleges would want to start the offline classes with PG students and continue the reopening in phases. Further guidelines for the reopening of hostels in Mumbai will also be released soon.
