Highlights
- Schools across India have been shut for over 10 months now
- Experts recommend reopening schools for secondary classes
- WHO is asking schools to do their own risk assessment before reopening
New Delhi: Almost 10 months ago, on March 10, 2020, Kerala became the first Indian state to suspend classes in all schools and colleges and exams for classes up to 7th standard. The following day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Coronavirus pandemic and soon schools and colleges across India were shut. Online classes became the new normal. However, now with the phased reopening of the country, some schools are reopening after being shut for over nine months. In a special series, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical Lead for COVID-19 at WHO, talked about reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said,
Everyone understands how important schools are for children. Not only for education, but for their well-being, for their mental health, for security and, in some situations, it’s where many children get food. Many countries are considering opening up their societies as they bring transmission under control and schools are part of that reopening. It’s really, really important that we understand that schools don’t operate in isolation. Schools are part of communities. So, when we consider opening schools, that we bring transmission in those communities under control.
Central Government Guidelines On Reopening Of Schools
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, states’ and Union Territories’ (UTs) governments are allowed to take a decision in respect of reopening of schools and coaching institutions in a graded manner in consultation with the respective schools and institutions management and based on the local situation. In October 2020, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education had issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or Guidelines for reopening of schools.
Schools, allowed to, open must follow the guideline prepared by State/UT Education Departments based on SOP of DoSEL. The SOP/guidelines of DoSEL, @EduMinOfIndia comprises of two parts:
I. Health, hygiene & safety
ii. Learning with physical/social distancing#SchoolGuidelines— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) October 5, 2020
Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak Explained: Everything You Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Dry Runs
The document lists SOP for health, hygiene and other safety protocols before the opening of schools. This includes ensuring proper cleaning and sanitation facilities in the school; maintaining a physical distance of 6 feet; staggering timetables by following odd-even formula for classes, running a school in two shifts, among other ways; taking parent’s or guardian’s consent before their child starts attending the school; sensitising students, parents, teachers, community members and hostel staff on COVID-19 related challenges and their role. Similarly, SOP was issued for health, hygiene and other safety protocols after reopening of schools and while serving mid-day meal in schools.
Part II of guidelines refers to learning with physical or social distancing and the academic aspects related to the delivery of education, such as curriculum transactions, instructional load, timetables, assessment, among others. The document clearly states that these are advisory in nature. States and UTs may use these in the manner deemed fit to prepare their own guidelines.
Experts Talk: Things To Keep In Mind While Reopening Of Schools
States across the country including Bihar, Puducherry, and Punjab have reopened schools for limited classes, majorly upper primary classes. Other states like Odisha are also following the suit. But is it safe to reopen schools? Dr Ravindra M Mehta, Senior Consultant and HOD – Pulmonology and Interventional pulmonology, Apollo Speciality Hospitals Jayanagar, said, it is reasonable to think about restarting offline classes. He said,
Reopening of schools has been a part of an organised strategy which is done towards establishing normalcy. It is a staggered process where most of the states or UTs reopening schools are doing it for senior classes majorly class 10 and 12 because those are crucial years and those students are capable of understanding and following COVID-19 precautionary measures. Currently, schools are being reopened for limited hours and classes that too with precautions like taking parent’s consent, ensuring physical distancing, among others. Once the system is in place, the number of hours can be increased.
Also Read: How To Take Care Of Mental Health Among Children During Coronavirus Pandemic And The Lockdown
Dr Fazal Nabi, Director of Pediatrics at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai also believes that reopening schools is the right decision considering most of the activities have been restarted. He said,
The number of COVID-19 cases has come down and the recovery rate is improving. It’s safe to reopen schools. At home, children sit in front of gadgets all day; there is little to no physical activity which is also impacting their mental health. Also, not all children have access to online classes. We haven’t seen serious COVID-19 disease in children but they can be the carrier of the virus hence it is essential for them to follow guidelines. Instead of restricting children’s movement, we should educate and mobilise them to follow COVID precautionary measures and make them responsible.
Dr Mehta noted that schools are being reopened in areas where the number of COVID-19 has declined and the risk is minimal. He very categorically recommended first restarting classes for a senior wing and later for a primary wing.
In addition to this, Dr Nabi suggested few measures and said,
Avoid group projects and activities in school to ensure social distancing; teachers should not call students to their desk or blackboard, basically, avoid physical contact; ensure cross-ventilation in classrooms.
Also Read: 115 Million Children Risk Malnutrition Due To COVID-19 Pandemic: India Child Well-being Report
To ensure a school is prepared to welcome students with COVID precautionary measures that are physical distancing, and handwashing stations for hand hygiene in place, WHO is asking schools to do their own risk assessment. Talking about the steps that schools will need to take to do that risk assessment, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, said,
Not all schools look the same globally. They may be different in terms of the way the buildings look, the number of hours that children are at school, the type of ventilation that may be there, if there’s boarding that’s happening at the schools. And so what we want schools to do is to look at can we apply the public health measures that need to be in place, such as physical distancing and keeping people at least one meter apart, making sure that there are hand hygiene stations, for example, are alcohol-based rub stations in the classrooms, in schools that children can clean their hands.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove also recommended making sure there are provisions and plans in place if there’s a COVID-19 suspect case in school. These plans include, quickly detecting the case; contact tracing; communicating to the students, adults, the parents of those children, and also the people who work at the school.
Also Read: Coronavirus Myths Explained: Are Children And Youngsters Less Vulnerable To Corona?
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. 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 highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. 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 become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 20,06,354 2,697 | 45,093 1,053 | 19,10,521 3,694 | 50,740 56 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,35,478 902 | 7,361 357 | 9,15,924 542 | 12,193 3 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,86,852 158 | 1,473 15 | 8,78,232 172 | 7,147 1 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 8,84,242 6,960 | 72,278 1,654 | 8,08,377 5,283 | 3,587 23 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,34,171 586 | 4,984 89 | 8,16,878 673 | 12,309 2 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,33,739 197 | 1,880 180 | 6,21,060 367 | 10,799 10 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 5,98,445 319 | 7,330 198 | 5,82,506 513 | 8,609 4 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,67,714 410 | 6,396 74 | 5,51,211 474 | 10,107 10 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,34,150 130 | 1,284 76 | 3,30,962 205 | 1,904 1 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,16,485 203 | 3,448 271 | 3,10,279 472 | 2,758 2 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 2,96,326 377 | 5,040 268 | 2,87,677 637 | 3,609 8 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 2,93,253 197 | 3,389 180 | 2,88,275 376 | 1,589 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,67,075 136 | 1,559 26 | 2,62,507 158 | 3,009 4 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,58,687 423 | 4,960 280 | 2,49,352 702 | 4,375 1 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,58,638 125 | 2,599 83 | 2,54,563 204 | 1,476 4 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,53,405 291 | 4,310 169 | 2,45,309 454 | 3,786 6 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,16,976 19 | 2,407 75 | 2,13,492 94 | 1,077 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,71,733 211 | 2,293 31 | 1,63,887 232 | 5,553 10 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,23,946 94 | 1,103 5 | 1,20,914 88 | 1,929 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,18,232 78 | 878 100 | 1,16,293 177 | 1,061 1 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 95,586 122 | 1,733 62 | 92,224 184 | 1,629 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 57,189 27 | 469 47 | 55,749 73 | 971 1 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 52,867 85 | 873 19 | 51,233 63 | 761 3 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 38,830 36 | 302 8 | 37,884 27 | 644 1 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,345 1 | 35 1 | 32,919 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 28,970 17 | 196 1 | 28,405 18 | 369 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 20,686 22 | 127 10 | 20,226 31 | 333 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,818 1 | 37 0 | 16,725 1 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,727 4 | 122 6 | 13,459 10 | 146 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,076 4 | 104 0 | 11,884 4 | 88 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,675 2 | 62 6 | 9,484 8 | 129 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,068 5 | 134 6 | 5,802 10 | 132 1 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 4,993 1 | 24 1 | 4,907 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,351 2 | 58 0 | 4,284 2 | 9 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,394 | 10 0 | 3,382 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 57 7 | 57 7 | 0 | 0 |