Schools across Maharashtra resumed physical sessions for classes 5 to 12 on Monday after being shut for over a year-and-a-half in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with students being welcomed back on campuses with flowers, balloons, sanitisers and social distancing protocols. Students appeared excited while entering the schools and meeting their friends, classmates and teachers after a long gap.

At the school gates, authorities ensured that all the students wore proper masks and sanitised their hands before entering the premises, and only one student was asked to sit on a single bench in classrooms.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the decision to reopen schools was a “very difficult” one, and appealed to teachers and parents to take care of the students. Until now, schools were conducting physical classes only in those areas which were reporting relatively fewer COVID-19 cases.

Last month, Maharashtra’s School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had announced that physical classes will resume in schools across the state and the government also issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for it.

On Monday morning, the minister in a tweet said, “Wishing all parents and students the very best as schools reopen across the state today. We hope you enjoy your first day back in a safe atmosphere.”

According to the Maharashtra government, physical sessions have started for classes 5 to 12 in rural areas and for classes 8 to 12 in urban areas of the state. But, the physical classes have not yet been resumed for classes 1 to 4 in rural areas and for classes 1 to 7 in urban areas.