Several schools in the national capital reopened on Monday with 50 per cent seating capacity for junior classes after remaining closed for 19 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Several private schools, however, have chosen to defer the reopening post-Diwali.

Masked students, thermal scanning, and volunteers guiding staggered entry and exit for students was a common sight at the schools which reopened on Monday.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited the Rajkiya Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in East Delhi's Vinod Nagar and interacted with students.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had last week announced that schools would reopen for all classes from November 1, even though teaching and learning would continue in blended mode.

The DDMA had also said that schools would have to ensure that there is not more than 50 per cent attendance in a class at one point of time and no student is forced to attend physical classes.

Following a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the national capital, the Delhi government had announced the reopening of schools for classes 9 to 12, colleges and coaching institutions from September 1.

However, this is the first time after March 2020 that schools in Delhi are reopening for classes upto 8.