The District Health Department on Tuesday issued an advisory for schools in Gurugram to ensure thermal scanning, physical distancing and wearing of masks in the campus in view of the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the last few days.
The 12-point advisory said the positivity rate in the district increased to 5.97% on April 18, from 1.62 percent in the previous month. The advisory said that on an average more than 200 COVID cases were being reported in the district daily, of which 15% were infected children. On April 18, 198 cases were registered in the district.
adherence to norms
The advisory states that it is mandatory for all school children and staff to wear masks. The adherence to COVID-appropriate behavior in the premises is to be monitored through CCTV. Among other things, it demanded separate entry and exit into school premises and fixed timings and entries in the event of fairs or exhibitions.
“No symptomatic child should be allowed in the school. Effective disinfection of classrooms and surfaces should be ensured on a daily basis. If a child tests positive, they should be isolated for seven days at home and suspected close contacts should be tested,” read the advisory.
Meanwhile, parents have demanded that schools should return to the hybrid mode of classes with the option of children attending online classes.
“Since vaccination is not allowed for children below the age of 12, schools should allow the option of online classes to these children. In fact, hybrid mode should be allowed for all classes as even after vaccination a child can get infected and not all parents are comfortable in sending their children to school in view of the emerging situation,” Mr. Tripti Singh, Administrator, Gurgaon Parents for Better said Shiksha, a Facebook platform for parents.
An email to parents of Heritage Experiential Learning School, one of the city’s premier schools, said that the management had received some requests for hybrid classes, but at present the school has allowed on-campus classes in line with government guidelines. have decided to continue. , “We request parents not to send children to school if they are showing symptoms and to undergo RT-PCR test to contain the spread,” the email said.