Noida, Ghaziabad schools stop conducting assemblies to prevent spread of influenza
The directive further states that children who have category ‘A’ fever should stay home for at least one week so that they do not spread influenza.
In the wake of increasing number of swine flu cases in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad, the state government on Wednesday evening directed schools in the two districts to not organise assembly sessions and protect kids from the highly contagious influenza. However, some schools followed the order on Thursday morning while others claimed that they had not received any notice.
The directive was issued by Prashant Trivedi, principal secretary (health and family welfare), to all district magistrates, asking them to avoid a large gathering of children at one place. The directive further states that children who have category ‘A’ fever should stay home for at least one week so that they do not spread influenza.
In the wake of the notice, DK Upadhyay, district inspector of schools of Gautam Budh Nagar, claimed that he had sent notices to schools on Wednesday evening. Students who have fever and cough have been advised to take leave for at least a week, as swine flu is a highly contagious influenza.
“Since swine flu is a disease that can be spread through saliva or even touch, it is advisable for schools to not let students gather in large numbers. We had sent individual notices to schools yesterday, asking them to implement it immediately,” said Upadhyay.
“Schools in Ghaziabad have also been informed to avoid large gathering of students in open areas. Students who have a fever are advised to stay home for a week,” said NK Gupta, chief medical officer, Ghaziabad.
Some schools acknowledged that they had received the notice and did not conduct morning assembly session on Thursday. “We are not conducting assembly sessions for the last few days due to swine flu. We have also asked the students to wear full sleeved shirts and full pants,” said Rita Singh, principal, Indirapuram Public School, Ghaziabad.
“We had stopped conducting morning assembly sessions in the open and now, we are not conducting assembly at all. Last week, we had conducted a spraying drive on our campus. The priority is not to allow a large gathering of students,” said Renu Singh, Amity International School, Noida.
However, a few schools claimed that they had not received any order from the health department or district administration. “We have not received any written order from the administration. Anyway, we are cautious and have suggested students who have the fever to take leave,” a spokesperson for Delhi Public School, Noida, said.