All the educational institutions of the country will be reopened after February 21 as the Covid-19 cases keep falling gradually, Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said.

"The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has no objection to reopening physical classes, but we would suggest the educational institutions to be reopened in compliance with health-safety rules," he said in a views-exchange meeting with district health officials at Gorpara Shuvro Centre in sadar upazila at noon.

The minister advised all the students of schools and colleges who have not yet been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible.

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"Eighty-five per cent of our target population has been vaccinated so far. So, the risk of infection and death is much lower now," he said.

"Even then, we must adhere to the hygiene protocols and go out wearing masks and maintaining social distance."

The instructions given to limit social activities should be followed, the minister said.

On January 21, the government announced that all the schools and colleges of the country will remain closed from January 21 to February 6 in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

On February 2, the government extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions by two weeks until February 20.

The following day, the Ministry of Education issued an 11-point directive, including resuming online classes, for schools and colleges during the closure.

Besides, the vaccination of students, aged between 12 to 17 years, against Covid-19 was directed to be continued following the health guidelines in coordination with the zonal offices of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, District Education Office, Upazila Secondary Education Offices, local administrations and Civil Surgeons.

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After a long closure due to the pandemic, the students of schools and colleges in Bangladesh returned to their classrooms on September 12 last year.

The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 and later the closure was extended several times.