BHUBANESWAR: After Jharsuguda and Sundargarh, spread of Covid-19 among students of a residential school at Konark in Puri district has sparked disquiet over safety measures in educational institutions following reopening.Sources said four students in a high school functioning under ST/SC Development department in the town have tested positive and are undergoing treatment in isolation. Initially, two students, one hostel inmate and a day scholar, developed symptoms and subsequently samples were collected. They were found infected and later, two more students also tested positive.
Increasing cases of Covid-19 infection among students has got the parents concerned. So far, around 50 students and teachers, including 19 in three schools at Laikera block in Jharsuguda and three teachers in Sundargarh, have tested positive since reopening of schools. In Gajapati too as many as 26 teachers and two students had tested positive a day after schools reopened on January 8. However, the government stated that they were tested before the schools started their academic activities.
“The vaccination drive has just started and it will take months to show results. The threat of coronavirus persists. The State government and local administrations should ensure protection of all children in the schools,” said Pramod Lenka, a parent from Khurda.
Members of Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha, a State-level parents’ body, said there shouldn’t be any negligence in implementation of the Covid safety measures which otherwise defeat the very purpose of reopening of schools. The issue is not about children getting infected, it is the danger to the parents and elderly family members. This could lead to a resurgence of Covid-19 in the State and many lives lost, the parents cautioned.
As teachers remain busy in academic activities, the federation has been demanding that the Health department must rope in its field staff for inspection of schools and screening on a daily basis to ensure that the schools take proper precautions to safeguard the health of the children. The government must consider it for the wellbeing of all and should be held responsible for any untoward development, said chairperson of the parents body Basudev Bhatt.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash during his field visit to different districts earlier this week to review safety measures had also found lapses in implementation of guidelines in Balangir and other districts.
“Schools have already been asked to ensure necessary safety measures and social distancing on the campus. The nodal officers of the department at district level have been asked to monitor the implementation and report to the department regularly,” he said.