HYDERABAD: As the State government pushes for IT companies to resume work from office in light of drop in Covid-19 cases, public health experts opined that expecting IT companies to reopen without reopening schools completely was unrealistic.
Speaking at a panel discussing Covid-19 vaccinations in India and the world at the Public Health Innovations Conclave (PHIC), Dr GVS Murthy, Director of Indian Institute of Public Health said: “Many of the IT company employees have spouses who are working as well. With schools shut, the parents have to be present through the day for childcare and in such cases expecting IT employees to resume work from the office may not work out as they have nuclear families with none else to take care of the children.”
He further explained that most couples working in the IT sector do not want to opt for daycare or household helps as a replacement due to fear of the disease and so unless schools fully reopen it may be unlikely that IT professionals will be able to resume work from office.
“For the society to fully open up, the schools also must open. The society collectively needs to understand that the new normal may not be like 2019 but will have to be one with masks, with physical distancing and with Covid-19 appropriate behaviours be it at schools or office,” he added.
The other panellists included Deepak Sapra, CEO (API & Services), Dr Reddy Laboratories and Dr MSS Mukherjee, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Medicover.