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Kerala considers reopening of schools amid alarming spike in Covid-19 cases
On Thursday, the state reported 32,907 fresh Covid cases with a test positivity rate (TPR) of 18.41% after testing 174,301 samples and 188 deaths, the state health ministry said. For the first time since May, the active caseload has crossed the 240k mark as fresh cases raised the total tally to 240,186.
The Kerala government is planning to reopen schools and an expert committee will be constituted soon to study the Covid-19 situation in the state, general education minister V Sivankutty said on Thursday amid a fresh spike in virus cases.
On Thursday, the state reported 32,907 fresh Covid cases with a test positivity rate (TPR) of 18.41% after testing 174,301 samples and 188 deaths, the state health ministry said. For the first time since May, the active caseload has crossed the 240k mark as fresh cases raised the total tally to 240,186.
Sivankutty defended the government’s plans to reopen schools, saying that the experts’ meeting convened by the government on Wednesday favoured the decision and a final call will be taken by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan after recommendations of the new committee. Earlier, the state government said schools will be opened only after vaccinating all children, but had second thoughts after neighbouring state Tamil Nadu reopened schools. Besides TN, at least six other states have reopened schools after the case tally dropped drastically.
“The education department will constitute a panel to study whether the situation in the state is feasible to reopen schools. It will also prepare a project detailing which classes can be opened initially. A final decision will be taken by the CM,” he said. For the last two academic years, classes are conducted virtually in the state.
In the experts’ meeting, many said since hospitalisation was not increased significantly, it was a clear indication that the current surge in disease transmission is not out of control. So, the state can think of reopening socio-economic sectors.
A section of the experts, not present in Wednesday’s meeting, opposed the plan to re-open schools. “This is not the right time. We have no idea how the minister concluded this,” said public health activist Dr S S Lal, who earlier served with the World Health Organisation.
Experts like Lal said the current pandemic condition will prevail in the state till mid-September and the government should wait till then. The alarming hike and its consistent prevalence forced many experts to link it with a possible beginning of a third wave.
The opposition parties in the state are yet to react to the government’s latest plan.
This week, the state’s accumulated share of cases was above 70 per cent. This is the third day in a row the state is reporting over 30,000 cases, Monday being an exception due to low testing.
