Covid in schools: Delhi considering shut down, detailed guidelines soon

New Delhi: Even as the Delhi government asks private schools in the city to consider shutting down parts or all of their campuses in case of Covid cases being detected, officials in the administration have said that they are now working on a detailed guideline for all schools in light of the "slight rise" in cases and several children testing positive in schools across Noida and Ghaziabad.

Noting the "slight" rise in COVID cases, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said he has directed the education department to issue guidelines on Friday in this regard.

However, both Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia maintained the government is closely monitoring the situation, and asked people not to panic as there is no rise in hospitalisation.

"COVID cases have slightly increased but there is no rise in hospitalisation, so we need not worry. There is no need to panic but (we have to) stay alert. We have to learn to live with COVID. We are constantly monitoring the situation," Sisodia told reporters.

"I have got reports from a few schools in the past few days where parents have informed about their child testing positive. The education department will tomorrow issue guidelines to schools in this regard," he added.

Delhi on Wednesday reported 299 new COVID-19 cases, a jump of 118 per cent in two days. The positivity rate stood at 2.49 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

According to a circular issued to all unaided and aided private schools in the city, the school administrations have been asked to immediately report any Covid cases among their pupils or teachers to the Directorate of Education. It also asked the schools to consider shutting down parts of their campuses or the entirety of it, as the case may be.

In addition, the short circular, issued on Wednesday night, advised the schools to ensure all Covid protocols are followed - like wearing face masks, regular hand-washing, maintaining social distancing and creating awareness about preventing the spread among all school stakeholders. One official in the Delhi government added that a detailed guideline for all schools in being worked out and will be released today (Friday).

Meanwhile, at least five students and staff members of a top private school in Vasant Kunj have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week, triggering concerns among parents about the safety of their wards and a possible closure of schools again.

While a section of parents claimed that the school did not inform them, and children continued to attend classes with those who contracted the viral disease, the institution categorically denied the charge.

"As students across the Delhi-NCR test Covid positive, schools are struggling with protocols. My child's school has at least eight kids and two staff members who tested positive. But no proper information was given by the school. The school is functioning normally," a parent claimed. A top school management representative said the parents of students of each class where a student had tested positive were informed on the class WhatsApp group to take all COVID-19 precautions.

Schools in Delhi have four days of holidays starting Thursday on account of Ambedkar Jayanti, Good Friday followed by a weekend.

The Capital on Monday reported 325 fresh cases with a daily positivity rate of 2.39 per cent. Active cases have now risen to 915, while the death toll stands at 26,158. In view of the uptick in COVID-19 cases in the national Capital, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority will hold a meeting on April 20 to discuss measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the city, officials said on Thursday.