The Punjab government on Saturday allowed the reopening of schools for all classes from August 2 as it further relaxed restrictions in view of declining Covid-19 cases.

The state government had allowed the reopening of schools for classes 10 to 12 from July 26.

"All schools are allowed to open for all classes from August 2. They shall follow proper protocols to ensure Covid-19-appropriate behaviour," according to fresh guidelines.

The department of school education shall issue instructions in this regard, it stated.

The district authorities shall continue to ensure strict implementation of all directives on Covid-appropriate behaviour, the guidelines said.

On Friday, Punjab reported 49 new Covid-19 cases and no new deaths. The total number of active cases on the day reached 544, as most new cases have been reported from Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana.

Punjab has so far reported a total of 5,99,053 Covid-19 infections and 16,292 deaths.