The decision on reopening of schools in Mumbai and surrounding areas will be taken after Diwali, said Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar. Several reports had suggested earlier that if the speculated third wave of COVID-19 does not hit Maharashtra then the schools can reopen in a phased manner after Diwali. The state had also formed a committee to set guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the reopening of schools.
The suggested SOPs include staggered school hours, social distancing inside classrooms, setting up school health clinics among others. Sanitisation of schools, staggered entry of students, wearing masks are among mandatory protocols.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had earlier said that it would do some groundwork before the students are asked to return to physical classes, however, the exact status of reopening schools will depend upon COVID-19 cases and positivity rates after the festivals.
Former ICMR scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar told news18.com had told news18.com that changes of a nationwide third wave are ‘very low’. He also suggested that there should be a decentralized approach to open schools based on the number of cases in a certain area.
“We know that children have a stronger innate immunity that protects them from developing the severe Covid19 disease, however, we should not ignore the recent studies and research papers that point towards the long covid or post Covid19 syndrome noticed in children as well. We need to be cautious,” said the top scientist.
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