Schools fully reopen in Sri Lanka
Colombo: Sri Lanka on Monday fully reopened schools after keeping them closed for over four months due to the lockdown imposed in the country to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
All schools in the island nation were shut mid-March when Lanka detected its first COVID-19 infection. Schools were re-opened for selected grades in July but were closed again after few days following the threat of a fresh outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
"All schools are reopened today with respective grades starting classes on a staggered basis," Education Secretary NHM Chithrananda said.
Schools with less than 200 students will operate as it used to before the pandemic lockdown in March. They will conduct classes as usual, while maintaining the 1-metre social distancing norm.
However, schools with over 200 students would decide which grades should attend on which date due to the need to maintain social distancing as instructed by the health guidelines, Chithrananda said.
School canteens are not permitted to open until confirmation from health authorities on COVID-19 being fully controlled, officials said.
The move to reopen schools has been taken in the wake of the country successfully curbing the community spread of the coronavirus, they said. Sri Lanka has not witnessed a single community case since April 30.
However, health authorities have warned that the threat of the pandemic is not completely over. Sri Lanka has so far reported 2,844 coronavirus cases, including 2,579 recoveries and 11 fatalities.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
