Mumbai : According to sources, Schools at Maharashtra will conduct offline classes from December 1. 

The decision was finalised by the state Cabinet after consultations with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the paediatric task force constituted by the state government, Gaikwad said.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government had permitted schools for classes 5 to 12 to resume in rural areas, and for classes 8-12 to resume in urban areas from October 4.

The state Cabinet has now approved the decision to also reopen schools for classes 1-4 in rural areas and 1-7 in urban areas from December 1, Gaikwad said.

"After discussing with the Chief Minister, the cabinet and pediatric task force, the state cabinet has decided to re-open schools from Std 1st to 4th in rural areas and Std 1st to 7th in urban areas from the 1st of December. We are committed to safe resumption of schools," the minister tweeted.

The minister noted that this is the "third phase of school reopenings", adding that the school staff and students must strictly adhere to the COVID-19 safety norms.

Notably, the decision to reopen the schools for all classes comes amid a constant decline in the number of coronavirus infections being reported in the state. The active case tally in Maharashtra has dropped to 9,366, as per the last update issued by the health department on November 24.