April 19, Kathmandu- The government has decided to close schools in urban areas. A cabinet meeting held at the PM's residence in Baluwatar on Monday decided to conduct virtual classes in urban schools as per the recommendation of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC), a minister said.

A new order on COVID-19 passed by the cabinet meeting has called for the closure of physical schools in urban areas. Saturday's CCMC meeting recommended closing urban schools by mid-April.

Lately, there have been calls for toughening of coronavirus infections across the country, while the Ministry of Health has been saying that schools should be closed after students are infected. However, the government was hesitant in its decision after the stakeholders took the stand that the school should be opened following the health standards.