If further COVID variants do not strike WB, primary schools may reopen.

If other COVID variations do not reach the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee indicated on Thursday that schools could reopen for primary classes on alternating days. 

The CM's announcement comes just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the Omicron will not be the last, and that the chances of additional varieties are extremely high. 

"If other COVID variants do not affect West Bengal, we can consider reopening primary schools on alternate days," CM Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying.

West Bengal's schools for grades 8 through 12 reopened on the 3rd of February. As the state's Covid-19 pandemic situation eased, the authorities announced a relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and the reopening of schools and universities. 

"Offline classes at colleges and universities will resume on February 3," CM Banerjee said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead, revealed yesterday that the global health organisation is tracking four different variants of Omicron. 

"We know a lot about the virus, but we don't know everything there is to know about it. And, to be honest, the varieties are the unknown. As a result, we're monitoring this virus in real time as it mutates and evolves. However, this pathogen has plenty of room to spread "she stated

"Omicron is the most recent kind of worry. It will not be the only instance of concern addressed by WHO. The next one, you know, will hopefully arrive, but it will take some time. However, given the severity of the dissemination, the likelihood of further mutations is extremely high "she stated

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 tally in West Bengal grew to 20,08,133 on Wednesday, with 884 new infections registered, 148 higher than the previous day's total, according to the health department's bulletin. It claimed that 28 more fatalities had been reported in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 20,912. The state has 736 new cases and 32 new deaths as of Tuesday.