The Bengal government on Monday said summer vacation in schools will begin from as early as Tuesday in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the state.

The summer break usually starts from the first week of May.

"Classes for 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th standard had resumed from mid-February (in state-aided and state-run schools). But, due to the present COVID-19 situation, we are forced to prepone the summer vacation. The education department will issue necessary notifications today," Partha Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee said he would also urge private schools to follow suit.

The decision comes amid reports of many teachers in schools testing positive in the past two months.

The headmaster of a state-run school in Jadavpur, however, told PTI that online classes will continue for students of Class 10 and 12 during the vacation "or the early phase of the vacation."

The Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday issued a fresh advisory to rein in the spread of Covid-19 in the state after daily positive cases crossed 8,000 mark — twice of what Bengal had recorded in the peak of the first wave of pandemic last October.

The advisory, in place till April 30, put stress on wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and adhering to other Covid-19 protocols in public places and public transport.

The advisory asked all government offices to run with 50 per cent employees. It advised private establishments to re-introduce work from home or on rotation/shifts to ensure fewer employees are present.

The advisory also suggested complete sanitisation of workplaces at least once a week at all public and private offices.