When can schools in India reopen safely post COVID?
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually fading and the governments are moving towards a somewhat idea of normalcy. But the question that is lingering in the minds of all students , teachers and parents is “When can schools in India reopen?”. Although the country is conducting vaccination drives in full force all over the country, the safety of students and teachers is still in doubt. The colleges and schools are completely shut since April 2020, and online classes are the new normal for educational institutions, but the buzz of reopening the schools and colleges has started resurfacing again since the new academic year is about to begin. But the state and the central governments wrangle over letting students in schools even with all the preventive measures strictly in place.
When schools in India reopen, imagine classes being held with tight restrictions followed by the management and student. In almost all states, a formal authorization permitting minors to visit schools and colleges should be expected. Maintaining physical distance between kids in classes, as well as the use of face masks, sanitizers, frequent handwashing, and respiratory etiquette, will all be mandated.
But one threat prevails. Although the charts of COVID-19 infections show a positive decline, scientists and experts speculate a third wave in coming. And it will affect children differently if the schools and colleges are opened. If children are exposed to the virus when it is in active circulation, they will become infected. Because they were primarily sheltered during the first wave and partly sheltered during the second wave. A third wave will expose a larger number of children to infection. Due to previous infections and immunizations, the number of vulnerable adults will decline by the third wave. As a result, by the third wave, the proportion of children to adults may shift. However, there is no reason to anticipate that by the third wave, the illness will be more severe in children.
It is unlikely that the governments will reopen the schools before vaccination for children below 12 years have started or half-completed. The vaccines that are used for children below 12 years are available only in the USA. If we have access to those approved vaccines, we immediately begin the vaccination campaign. We must wait for our domestically created vaccinations to complete their trials in children because they are not available in India.
