India
oi-Prakash KL
New
Delhi,
Apr
14:
The
Delhi
government
has
issued
a
fresh
advisory
for
schools
in
the
national
capital,
directing
them
to
close
the
entire
premises
or
specific
wings
temporarily
if
any
student
or
staff
tests
positive
for
COVID-19.
The
Directorate
of
Education
(DoE)
also
said
that
students
and
staff
must
wear
masks
and
maintain
social
distancing
to
the
extent
possible.
The
advisory,
dated
April
13,
came
amid
reports
of
a
few
students
testing
positive
for
COVID-19
across
the
national
capital
and
NCR.
“If
any
COVID
case
is
noticed
or
reported
to
the
school
authority
the
same
must
be
intimated
to
the
Directorate
of
Education
immediately
and
the
concerned
wing
of
the
school
or
the
school
as
a
whole
as
the
case
may
be,
must
be
closed
down
for
time
being,”
the
advisory
said.
Among
other
measures
listed
in
the
advisory
include
wearing
of
masks
by
students,
teachers
and
other
staff
of
schools,
maintenance
of
social
distancing
to
the
possible
extent.
It
also
advised
regular
washing
of
hands
and
use
of
sanitisers
and
creating
awareness
about
the
prevention
of
Covid
among
students,
teachers
and
other
supporting
staff
and
parents
visiting
the
school.
Noting
a
“slight”
rise
in
COVID-19
cases,
Deputy
Chief
Minister
Manish
Sisodia
said
earlier
in
the
day
that
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.
He
also
said
he
had
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
had
said.
Delhi
reported
325
new
COVID-19
cases
on
Thursday,
while
the
positivity
rate
stood
at
2.39
per
cent,
according
to
data
shared
by
the
city’s
health
department.
Reports
of
infections
from
schools
have
sparked
concerns,
weeks
after
they
opened
for
completely
offline
classes
following
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.
At
least
five
students
and
staff
of
a
top
private
school
in
South
Delhi’s
Vasant
Kunj
have
tested
COVID
positive
in
the
last
one
week,
sparking
concerns
among
parents
about
their
wards’ safety
as
well
as
about
the
possible
closure
of
schools
yet
again.
While
a
section
of
parents
claimed
that
the
school
did
not
inform
other
parents
about
the
cases,
and
that
children
continued
to
go
to
class
with
COVID-19
positive
students,
the
school
categorically
denied
the
charge.
“As
students
across
Delhi-NCR
turn
Covid
positive,
schools
are
struggling
with
protocols.
My
child’s
school
has
at
least
eight
kids,
two
staff
members
positive.
But
no
proper
information
is
given
to
parents.
The
school
is
functioning
normally
including
even
those
classes
with
positive
cases,”
said
a
parent.
A
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
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.
Government
officials
also
said
that
in
view
of
the
uptick
in
COVID
cases,
the
Delhi
Disaster
Management
Authority
(DDMA)
will
hold
a
meeting
on
April
20,
and
may
consider
bringing
back
the
mask
mandate.
PTI