Schools across Maharashtra yesterday resumed physical sessions for Classes 5 to 12 after being shut for over a year-and-a-half in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The students were welcomed back on campuses with flowers, balloons, sanitisers and social distancing protocols. Students appeared excited, while entering the schools and meeting their friends, classmates and teachers after a long gap. At the school gates, authorities ensured that all the students wore proper masks and sanitised their hands before entering the premises and only one student was asked to sit on a bench in classrooms.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the decision to reopen schools was a very difficult one and appealed to teachers and parents to take care of the students. He said, all precautionary measures should be followed strictly to avoid future closure of schools.</span><br />