notice for Delhi schools: Delhi issues new Covid notice for schools, asks them to close if a case is reported
The Directorate of Education (DoE) also said students and staff should wear masks and maintain social distancing where possible.
The notice, dated April 13, came amid reports of a few students testing positive for Covid-19 in the nation’s capital and NCR.
“If a case of Covid is found or reported to the school authority, it should be immediately reported to the director of education and the affected wing of the school or the school as a whole, as the case may be, should be closed at this time,” the notice said.
Other measures listed in the notice include the wearing of masks by students, teachers and other school staff, maintaining social distancing where possible.
He also advised regular hand washing and the use of sanitisers and raising awareness of Covid prevention among pupils, teachers and other support staff and parents visiting the school.
Noting a “slight” increase in Covid-19 cases, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said earlier today that he had ordered the education department to issue guidelines in this regard on Friday.
However, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia said the government is monitoring the situation closely and asked people not to panic as there is no increase in hospitalizations.
“Covid cases have increased slightly but there is no increase in hospitalizations, so we have nothing to worry about. There is no need to panic but (we must) remain vigilant. We must learning to live with Covid. We are constantly monitoring the situation,” Sisodia told reporters. He also said he had received reports from a few schools in the past few days where parents advised that their child had tested positive.
“The Department of Education will be issuing guidance to schools tomorrow in this regard,” he said.
Delhi reported 325 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, while the positivity rate stood at 2.39%, according to data shared by the city’s health department. Reports of infections in schools have raised concerns, weeks after they opened for completely offline lessons after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Kalkaji MLA and senior AAP official Atishi said: “There are reports of a child and a teacher testing positive for Covid. Other students in the class have been sent home. We are monitoring the situation closely.”
However, she did not specify the name of the school where cases were reported.
The new infections in private schools in the nation’s capital were reported on the heels of neighboring schools in Noida and Ghaziabad reporting new cases.
At least five students and staff at a leading private school in Vasant Kunj, South Delhi, have tested positive for Covid in the past week, raising concerns among parents about the safety of their wards as well as the possible closure of schools again.
While some of the parents claimed that the school did not inform other parents of the cases and that children continued to go to class with Covid-19 positive students, the school categorically denied the charge.
“As students in Delhi-NCR come out positive for Covid, schools are struggling with protocols. My child’s school has at least eight children, two staff positive. But no proper information is given to parents. The school is functioning normally, including even classes with positive cases,” a parent said.
A school management representative said: “Parents of students in each class where a student has tested positive have been advised on the class WhatsApp group to take full Covid-19 precautions.”
Schools in Delhi have four days of vacation starting Thursday due to Ambedkar Jayanti, Good Friday followed by a weekend.
The Delhi BJP has demanded that in view of the rise in cases, the government should again make masks compulsory in public places, including public transport, schools, colleges and cinema halls.
Government officials have also said that in view of the rise in Covid cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will hold a meeting on April 20 and may consider bringing back the mask mandate.
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