BHUBANESWAR: Schools, where cases of Covid-19 are being detected, are closed down immediately to break the chain of transmission, said School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash.
The Minister said two schools that reported the Covid-19 outbreak were immediately closed and the department officials have kept an eye on the situation besides being in touch with the CDMOs concerned.
The schools are Panchayati Raj School of Kanpura near Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal and Vikash Residential School in Bargarh which reported 14 and 19 new Covid cases, respectively among students.
Dash said that all safety measures and Covid SOPs are being strictly followed in school campuses during offline classes.
Meanwhile, Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) CBK Mohanty said the State government may consider closing down schools if infection rate increases in the 0 to 18 age group. He also advised parents to inform the administration in case there are any SARI/ILI symptoms among their wards.
“If parents and guardians do not pay heed to the government advisory and cases among children increase, the government may consider shutting down schools,” added Mohanty. Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) has set up a Covid monitoring cell at its office in the Capital.
Two officials have been designated to collect attendance of Class IX, X and Plus II students regularly and monitor Covid-related issues on a daily basis.