Schools Can Be Reopened Amid COVID Restrictions, Says Odisha Health Director

Representative Picture

Bhubaneswar: Even as the state government is yet to take a decision on resuming  physical classes of primary and upper primary schools, Bijay Mohapatra, director, Health Services has said there should not be any problem in this regard considering the COVID situation in the state.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mohapatra said though new variants of coronavirus have been detected in other countries, Odisha has already experienced it. Besides, the number of daily COVID positive cases are coming down steadily.

He said in this situation, there is no harm in reopening the primary and upper primary schools. Besides, children have more resistance power against the virus than adults, he added.

But, he cautioned that COVID protocols cannnot be relaxed now. “Even if all the schools are reopened, we must follow the guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distance and cleaning hands to prevent the virus from spreading. All these practices must continue as now,” he added.

Earlier, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Dash had said the state government was considering reopening the schools for students of Class VI and VII in the first phase. “Decision to start physical classes I-V will be taken in next phase. We hope all classes would commence by New Year,” he had said during a visit to Sambalpur on November 3.

The state has reported 208 COVID cases on Saturday, 170 on Friday, 351 on Thursday, 322 on Wednesday, 327 on Tuesday and 316 on Monday.

Also Read: After Hitting 7-Month Low, Odisha Reports Slight Rise In COVID Tally; 48% From Khurda