Parents of students from several Maharashtra districts have been demanding reopening of primary schools and those from Classes V to VII amid a drop in Covid-19 cases and due to relaxations announced for shops and other establishments recently, an official said.

He said several of these districts have been adding coronavirus cases in single digits daily for more than a fortnight now. The official, however, said, the state education department was keen on "voluntary permission" for reopening of schools rather than a "directive or order".