Schools in Noida and Ghaziabad have been following COVID-19 protocols. (File)
Three schools in Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad were closed on Monday after students and teachers tested positive for COVID-19. According to news agency PTI, three students enrolled at two private schools in Ghaziabad tested positive for coronavirus, while 16 cases - including three teachers - were reported from the school in Noida.
It is still not clear if the students have been diagnosed with the latest XE variant of the virus, but Ghaziabad Chief Medical Officer Dr Bhavtosh Shankhdhar said that health officials will be carrying out tests and vaccinations in the schools in order to prevent the further spread of the deadly virus.
According to PTI, one of the schools, located in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram, has announced a three-day closure. The school in Noida, on the other hand, has switched to an online mode of classes for a week in a bid to break the chain of infection. It will also be sanitizing the school completely and students will return for offline classes from April 18. Those infected would carry their RAT (rapid antigen test) report.
India sees decline in COVID-19 cases
Now, the incident has raised concerns among parents and residents. However, it is to mention that India has seen a sharp reduction in the number of cases as compared to other countries. On Monday, the Union Health Ministry announced that the number of active cases in the country has declined to 11,058. It also stated that the active cases account for 0.03 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate remained at 98.76 per cent.
Moreover, the head of the National Technical Advisory Group on Vaccination (NTAGI chief) Dr NK Arora said that there is no fear about the new COVID-19 variants coming to the fore. Noting that there may be an increase in coronavirus cases, Dr Arora stated that “there is nothing to panic about as none of them (including Omicron COVID-19 variant) are causing serious illness”.
Safety tips for school students
However, it is still understandable that parents are concerned about whether it is safe to allow their child to go out of the bubble of protection. As the danger of new variants continues to loom over the nation, here are a few things that can be done to keep children away from the evil shadow of COVID-19:
- Educate your children as much as possible about the danger of coronavirus.
- Make them take responsibility for their own hygiene practices.
- Send kids to school with a mask that properly covers the nose and the mouth and keep their health in close observation.
- Make them carry an extra face mask, hand sanitiser and wet tissue.
- Teach them about social distancing or physical distancing.
- Make sure your child is up to date with all recommended vaccines.