Classes to begin, but concerns remain

‘Some COVID-19 guidelines issued by govt. impractical’

Physical classes for primary school students will begin next week, a decision welcomed by many. But, concerns over restarting schools and its modalities remain.

Mullahalli Suri, president, Parents’ Association, said given the recent development that Covaxin vaccine is being cleared for children, it may have been prudent to wait, get the children vaccinated before restarting physical classes. “These are young children and it may be tough to make them comply with COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour (CAB). Given that 20 months are already lost, waiting for a few more months would not have been an issue,” he said.

Given that schools restarting is a reality now, he said government guidelines that only doubly vaccinated teachers will be allowed in classrooms was insufficient. “We prefer all teaching and non-teaching staff to be tested for COVID-19 and only those who report negative must be allowed to work,” he suggested.