The Sri Lankan Education Ministry said in a statement that it has decided to reopen all schools in the country's Western Province, including capital Colombo, on March 29 after it was closed last October due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Western Province has been the worst affected by the pandemic with schools remaining shut due to a rise in infections. "Now we believe that a conducive environment has been created to re-open all schools and all grades in the Western Province.

Education Minister G.L. Peiris told a weekly media briefing here on Wednesday that following recommendations from the Health Ministry, schools for all grades would reopen on March 29, reports Xinhua news. The Minister said that all necessary health protocols would be strictly followed.

"The health recommendations in this regard were conveyed by the Health Services Director General," the Minister said. Accordingly, all pre-schools in the Western Province have also been permitted to commence from March 29. Sri Lanka's overall coronavirus caseload and death toll stood at 90,765 and 552, respectively.

Meantime, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases have continued to increase globally for a fourth consecutive week. In the week ending March 21, nearly 3.3 million new cases were reported globally.

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