Bhubaneswar: With the Odisha government announcing reopening of schools and colleges for students of Classes X and XII from January 8, the Special Relief Commissioner and the Health and Family and Welfare Department have issued the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the educational institutions.
Following COVID-19 guidelines are to be followed by schools and colleges:
—Only schools outside the containment zones shall be allowed to open.
—Students, teachers and employees living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the schools and colleges or visit the areas falling within containment zones.
—Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, these decisions will be taken by the district collector who will direct the schools and colleges concerned to immediately shut down in case their zone is declared as a containment zone.
—Prior to resumption of activities, all work areas including furniture, libraries, laboratories, storage places, water tanks, kitchen, washrooms/toilets, and other areas of common use shall be sanitised with particular attention to frequently touched surfaces.
—Schools may not reopen without 100% access to potable drinking water and adequate functional toilets for all students. Any school without access to the facilities must first make the arrangements before reopening.
—Hostels will not be opened at this point of time. Detailed SOP for hostel operations will be issued when the hostel reopening is deemed safe.
—Schools and colleges having transportation should be discouraged to reduce risk. Parents must take the responsibility of the child’s transportation to school. Where the facility is available, the vehicles may run at a maximum 50% capacity with adequate sanitisation before picking up and after dropping the students.
—High-risk staff members with severe ailments or underlying conditions must take extra precautions.
—No student should be forced to come to their respective schools and colleges. Only those parents and students who feel comfortable attending the institutions should do so.
Provisions to be made inside schools
—To ensure social distancing and queue management inside and at the entrance of the premises and specific markings on the floor/ground with a gap of 6 feet should be made.
—Inside classrooms, the students should be made to sit at safe distances/alternate desks. Fixed seating should be ensured. A particular seat/space should be earmarked for each student (for example: based on roll number) so that there is limited exposure to other students’ physical spaces.
—Physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms (by earmarking seats for teachers at adequate distance) and other common areas (mess, libraries, cafeterias. etc ) with relevant markings as required.
—Available temporary space or outdoor spaces (in case of pleasant weather) may be utilised for conducting classes, keeping in view the safety and security of the children and physical distance protocols.
—There must be adequate soap (solid/liquid) and running water in all washrooms and toilets. Hand sanitisers etc for the teachers, students, and staff must be available mandatorily in each classroom. Students should be encouraged to sanitise their hands when entering and leaving classrooms and toilets.
—The staff entrusted with cleaning/sweeping duties must be informed and trained about the cleaning/sanitisation processes as well as general norms for waste management and disposal.
—The school should display state helpline numbers and also numbers of local health authorities etc. to teachers/students/employees to contact in case of any emergency. Other posters related to the preventive measures about COVID-19 must also be displayed.
—A separate isolation room has to be marked in the school and kept ready. This room may be used in case any student or employee develops COVID-19 symptoms.
—The Composite School Grant under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) may be used for the purchase of all relevant cleaning and sanitisation materials.
