Schools are unlikely to reopen until we have Covid-19 vaccine: Sisodia

Sisodia, who is also the deputy chief minister of Delhi, said the government will consult all the stakeholders before taking any decision on reopening schools. “We are regularly consulting parents and they are concerned about the safety of their children.”

Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said schools in the national capital are unlikely to reopen until “we have the Covid-19 vaccine”. Schools have remained shut in Delhi since March in view of the pandemic situation and classes are being conducted online.

The Delhi government last month announced that all schools in the city will remain closed till further notice.

“Until there is some vaccine, schools are not likely to reopen in Delhi...Parents won’t send their kids to schools until they are assured that they will be safe,” he said.

Sisodia, who is also the deputy chief minister of Delhi, said the government will consult all the stakeholders before taking any decision on reopening schools. “We are regularly consulting parents and they are concerned about the safety of their children.”

Delhi has recorded a surge in Covid-19 cases and fatalities in November with both the maximum number of daily cases and deaths being reported this month.

On October 28, Sisodia, during a press conference, had said, “Reports suggest that wherever schools were reopened, an increase in the number of cases was observed in those countries. The chief minister [Arvind Kejriwal] and I have thought this through even as parents and whether we would be willing to expose our kids to such a risk. This is why we have decided that all schools in the national capital will remain closed until further orders.”

Principals said that parents are not in favour of reopening schools. “Although we are worried about the students who are not being able to attend online classes due to lack of devices and internet connectivity, we think that it’s still not the time to reopen schools. Parents are also worried about the safety of their students. Even teachers are scared of their safety. Let the situation normalise in Delhi before taking any decision on this,” said AK Jha, head of school at Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini.