Parents wary of sending children to school as cases rise in Delhi, nearby cities

Many parents in the city said on Thursday they were not willing to send their children to school as Covid-19 cases are rising among students and teachers in Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad

Many parents in the city said on Thursday they were not willing to send their children to school as Covid-19 cases are rising among students and teachers in Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad. A few parents said they have also approached schools urging them to hold classes in the hybrid mode -- both online and in-person -- so that children could continue with their studies from home. However, no fresh advisory has been issued yet for schools, said district officials.

Gurugram, India - October 15: Students of class 12 seen sitting distantly during a class at Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) in Sector - 4/7 near Huda Gymkhana club, in Gurugram, India, on Thursday, October 15, 2020. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Several schools said they would take a call on Monday as they were still waiting for an advisory from the state before taking any decision in this regard. The district on Thursday reported 147 new cases of Covid-19, said health officials.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government is likely to a detailed guideline for schools on Friday, amid a spike in Covid cases in the national capital, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. The announcement comes after five students and two teachers of a private school in south Delhi tested positive for Covid-19.

Shuilu Z Dhar, a resident of Nirvana Country in Sector 50, said her daughter started going to school on April 4 but fell ill with high fever and cough within two days. “She returned from school and said she was not feeling well. We took her temperature and it was 102°F and she could not sleep for the next two days due to bad cough and throat infection. Since then, I have not sent her to school and with news coming in from other areas that children have started testing positive for Covid-19, I have stopped her sending to school,” Dhar said.

Schools in the city are shut for four days on account Baisakhi, Good Friday and the weekend and will reopen only on April 18.

Teachers said they were taking all precautions but primary class students were yet to be vaccinated and parents are wary of them contracting the infection. However, parents said children often did not follow Covid-19 protocols and the situation was presently unpredictable -- the cases could go up even further -- and so would prefer chidlren reverting to online classes.

Schools across the city reopened for all classes on April 4, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out over two years ago. Atul Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 57, said his son is a nursery student and is now ill , possibly having contracted an infection at school. “He went to school for a few days and developed cough, runny nose and high fever. Since then, we have been taking extra precautions and are not willing to send him until the situation is under control and Covid cases come down,” Aggarwal said.

Bhawna Yadav, a resident of Malibu Town in Sector 47, said her daughter was hospitalised for three days due to respiratory and chest problems after she started going to school on April 4. “I had started sending her to school as I wanted her to have the feel of a classroom and a fruitful learning experience but I regret sending her now. The doctor has advised her not to move out of home,” she said.

Yadav said she got her daughter tested for Covid-19 and her report came negative.

Anita Makkar, principal of HDFC School, said they have started strictly enforcing mask discipline and hand hygiene among students. “Now the school is closed for four days till Monday. We are keeping a watch and would take a call according to the situation,” she said.

Kunal Bhadoo, director of Kunskapsskolan Schools, said parents have requested to restart hybrid learning if the situation deteriorated further. “We will follow the government advisory,” he said.

Rohit Mann, director, Lancers International School, said due to the prevalent uncertainty, parents are still apprehensive about sending children to school. “With the vaccination of the 12+ age group, the confidence among has increased but the little ones are still at risk. Owing to the present uncertain scenario, we will continue with the hybrid mode,” he said.

Rashmi Malik, principal of Salwan Public School, said parents are a bit stressed but most are still sending children to school. “Children also are careful about wearing masks and washing hands and are following all protocols,” she said.

School principals said the impact on attendance will be visible on Monday when they reopen after Easter/Baisakhi break. .

The district had last reported over 100 cases on March 4 when 115 cases were reported for the day. By the end of March, cases started to dwindle to as few as 30-35 in a single day.

Health experts said cases have now started increasing because Covid norms have been lifted, due to which most people are not wearing masks anymore or following social distancing.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, said they have sent a recommendation to the state government to reinforce the penalty for not wearing masks. “People are not following Covid appropriate behaviour and unless there is some penalty, they will not take it seriously. The situation in the district is under control but cases will increase as Covid restrictions have been lifted. Most people are not wearing masks or following social distancing or hand hygiene,” he said.