Delhi Government To Issue Fresh Guidelines To Schools As Covid Cases Rise

New Delhi: The Delhi government will issue fresh guidelines for schools amid reports of a few students testing positive for COVID-19 across the national capital and NCR. Noting a “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 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. 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, Mr Sisodia told reporters.

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.

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Reports of infections from schools have sparked concerns weeks after they opened for completely offline classes after a two-year gap due to the pandemic. Kalkaji MLA and senior AAP leader Atishi said,

There are reports of a child and a teacher testing positive for Covid. Other students of the class have been sent home. We are closely tracking the situation.

However, she did not specify the name of the school where cases have been reported.

The fresh infections in the privately-run schools in the national capital have been reported close on the heels of schools in adjoining Noida and Ghaziabad reporting new cases.

As students across Delhi-NCR turn Covid positive, schools are struggling with protocols. My child’s school has at least 8 kids, 2 staff members positive. But no proper info given to parents, school functioning normally, even those classes with positive cases, said a parent from a top private school in Vasant Kunj.

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

The Delhi BJP demanded that in view of the rise in cases, the government should once again make masks mandatory at public places including public transport, schools, colleges and cinema halls.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.