pandemic
Covid: Bangladesh's daily positivity rate jumps to 18.59%; 54 lives lost
Bangladesh's daily Covid-19 test positivity rate rose to 18.59% while the death toll to 13,399 with 54 new fatalities in 24 hours until early Friday amid the extension of the ongoing countrywide lockdown till July 15.
The new positivity rate is the highest in two months. On Thursday, the daily test positivity rate dropped to 15.44% from Wednesday's 16.62%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Also, 3,883 fresh cases were reported in the past 24 hours, after testing 20,822 samples, taking the total caseload to 844,970.
However, the fatality rate remained static at 1.59 % during the same period and the recovery rate dropped to 92.12% from Thursday's 92.32%.
Read: Resolution adopted seeking equitable access to Covid vaccine
Chattogram division recorded the highest 15 deaths, while Rajshahi and Dhaka 12 each, Khulna eight, Barishal four, Sylhet two, and Mymensingh one.
Correlation between death rate and cases observed
To get an accurate measure of death rate, the number of infected people should be used as the denominator and the deceased as the numerator – both of which occurred and ended within a specified time, Dr AM Zakir Hussain, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, told UNB.
"But for a disease like Covid-19, which still rages on, the rate should be considered in reference to a specific and relevant time. A recent assessment showed that the highest number of deaths occurred 14 days after the highest number of Covid-19 cases – a situation that still prevails in Bangladesh and India. So, the current method for estimating death rate is not accurate," he said.
What's test positivity?
The Covid-19 positivity rate indicates, among other things, the number of people showing clinical features of the disease or the percentage of individuals suffering from the disease. Such estimation has two errors, Dr Zakir said.
Read: Record high 82 million-plus people displaced despite Covid: UN
"One, an RT-PCR test, based on the present method of sample collection, misses about one-third of the actual cases. Two, when more than 20 cycles of diagnostic procedures are repeated even a single virus in a sample would show a positive result, which, however, will not indicate that the person who gave the sample will transmit the infection to others or that they will come down with the disease. An RT-PCR test shows positive results even when the virus is dead," he added.
Mass vaccination expected to resume by July
The government halted administering the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on April 26 considering the dwindling stock of its jabs.
Also, registration for the Covid-19 vaccination remained suspended amid uncertainty over the availability of promised vaccine doses from India's Serum Institute.
Read: Migrants listed in priority list for Covid-19 vaccine
However, the mass vaccination of Covid-19 is expected to resume in July next as the government is making all-out efforts to collect vaccines, said Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus Thursday. "The government has allotted a fund of Tk14,000 crore for the procurement of vaccines as it’s an all-out effort to ensure Covid jabs for all."
The government has so far approved the emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm (China), Sputnik-V (Russia), Pfizer-BioNTech (USA/Germany) and Crona Vac (China) vaccines.
'Covid to fizzle out in another year'
"Covid-19 will disappear as a pandemic or epidemic. It may either disappear totally like SARS-CoV-1 or become a seasonal disease like another four Coronavirus strains which affects 30% of the global population every year in the form of common cold and fever," said Dr Zakir.
Read:CPD dialogue calls for urgent cash transfers to COVID-hit households
"This will happen because, in another year, too many people will be exposed to the infection from the viral strain SARS-CoV-2 and will develop immunity to the virus. The other four Coronavirus strains which infect people will also impart partial immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Also, some people have an innate resistance to a disease for different reasons."
How to sanitise fruits & veggies: Safety tips during the pandemic
Pandemic or not, rinsing fruits and vegetables with water before eating them has always been an important habit -- as it helps remove many harmful bacteria, including salmonella, from the surface of the farm produce.
Covid-19 has only reinforced the need for washing fruits and vegetables under a running tap before consuming them. Not adhering to the practice could turn out to be a recipe for disaster -- food poisoning.
Salmonella, for instance, causes salmonellosis that can lead to an upset stomach, fever and cramps in the belly. Children, pregnant women, and the aged are the most vulnerable. And if the infection gets into your blood, it can lead to serious complications.
How to sanitise the fresh farm produce at home
First step
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling eggs, raw meat, and seafood.
Then wash fruits and vegetables under a running tap and rub them properly. Otherwise, germs on their surface can get inside while peeling them. Don’t wash the farm produce with soap or detergents.
Also wash utensils, the cutting board, dishes and the kitchen top with hot water and liquid soap after preparing each dish and before embarking on the next one.
Make it a point not to wash raw meat and eggs just before cooking. Otherwise, germs on them can spread to other food items, utensils, and kitchen surfaces.
Read: How to identify adulterated milk at home
Second step
Wash raw meat, seafood, and eggs separately soon after bringing them home. You should wash them in the kitchen sink again but before disinfecting the utensils and the kitchen top.
You should keep the unused eggs in the original carton and inside the refrigerator.
Meanwhile, the cracked eggs should be discarded.
Final step
Using a food thermometer is the best way to ensure that foods are cooked to the right temperature.
Fix the temperature at 63°C for beef, mutton, and fish. Eggs are needed to cook until both the yolk and white become firm. Don’t put cooked food on a plate that has already been used once for keeping raw meat, seafood, or eggs.
Read: Kick-start your day with a healthy breakfast
How to sanitize your kitchen after cooking
Undoubtedly, the kitchen top is the most vulnerable area in the kitchen. It's used most of the time daily -- be it for preparing food or unpacking groceries. So, it is necessary to keep them clean all the time.
Pay attention to the leftovers
Bacteria generally tends to grow in tiny pieces of food lingering on your kitchen top. Wiping the spillover food by disinfecting your kitchen top will prevent the food residue and bacteria from building up over time accordingly.
Read: Intermittent Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks
Keep your sponge clean first
Your sponges and dishcloths harbor billions of bacteria. So you must disinfect them in a bleach solution so that you can reuse them.
Alternatively, you can wash your sponge and warm it in the microwave for 2.5 minutes. You can wash your dishcloths in the washing machine.
Keep your kitchen top dry
Salmonella spreads in a moist environment. So whatever the process you use to disinfect your kitchen top, make sure to completely dry them afterward. It can be as simple as wiping down the surface areas such as around the sink where the place is wet due to accumulating condensation.
To sum up, always disinfect the fruits and vegetables that you bring home.
Read:IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long Healthy life
Bagerhat records 89 more Covid cases
The district on Friday reported 89 more Covid cases in 24 hours, as authorities struggle to contain the second wave of the pandemic.
Officials said the fresh coronavirus cases were detected after testing 179 samples. With the new cases, the district’s positivity rate has now risen to 49%.
Read:In Bagerhat, test for Covid-19 at home
Besides, 63 people have died of Covid in the district to date, said civil surgeon Dr KM Humayun Kabir.
According to the district’s health department, Bagerhat’s Covid caseload currently stand at 2,479, while 1,665 people have recovered from the infection to date.
Read: 2 poachers held with venison, legs in Bagerhat
To stem the spread of coronavirus, local authorities have extended the ongoing lockdown in the Mongla municipal area of the district by another week.
Covid pandemic: Situation in Bangladesh worsening, 47 more die
Amid the growing concern over the rapidly increasing cases and the higher transmissibility of Delta variant, Bangladesh registered 2,436 new Covid cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
The deadly virus also claimed 47 more lives during the period, pushing up the fatalities to 13,118, said a handout released by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fatality rate rose to 1.59% on Saturday from Friday’s 1.58% and it remained unchanged, said the DGHS handout.
READ: 13 more lives lost to Covid-19 at RMCH
The caseload reached 8,26,922 with the logging of the new cases.
The positivity rate declined to 12.99 percent on Sunday from Saturday’s 14.12 percent.
Of the deceased, Dhaka division recorded the highest 15 deaths.
So far, the country has completed testing of 61,75,112 samples, including 18,750 in the last 24 hours.
Of the deceased, all but one were 30 years of age. Of them, 29 were over 60-plus age group.
READ: India reports 80,834 new COVID-19 cases
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
Some 42,05,167 people got the second dose of this vaccine while the number is 58,20,015 for the first one.
Besides, the total number of people receiving their first jab of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine is 2,162.
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the approval for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Vaccine procurement update
Bangladesh will soon receive 10 lakh and 800 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine soon under COVAX facility, said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the US conveyed the message of this development to the Foreign Minister.
Bangladesh, earlier sought 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine doses from the US for addressing Bangladesh's immediate needs but the US is yet to reply on that particular request.
China will deliver the second consignment of vaccine doses for Bangladesh as a gift of its government by June 13.
READ: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Positivity rate hits 14.12%, highest in 50 days
Dr Momen said Bangladesh will send two special flights to bring 6 lakh Sinopharm vaccine doses and other medical supplies from China.
Just nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses of gifted vaccine in Bangladesh, China announced the provision of the second batch of gift doses to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, seven million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield reached Bangladesh and India.
Khulna Corona Hospital scrambles for space as Covid patients soar
The authorities of Khulna Dedicated Corona Hospital have been scrambling to treat Covid-19 patents due to bed constraints as the number of patients continues to rise.
According to hospital sources, in the past 24 hours, 50 new patients were admitted to the hospital while 47 returned home after recovery.
Read: 10 Covid patients die in Khulna division
The 100-bed hospital has been providing treatment to 130 patients with its limited staff and resources.
Medical Officer of Khulna Civil Surgeon's Office Dr. Sheikh Sadia Monowara Usha said the positivity rate is 29 percent in Khulna.
Khulna Covid Hospital Focal Person Dr. Suhas Ranjan Haldar said that the hospital is overcrowded. “We are being forced to keep patients on floor. It is not possible to admit new patients if admitted ones are not discharged,” he said.
Read: In Khulna, a scramble for Covid hospital beds
Khulna Medical College Hospital principal Dr. Mehdi Newaz said doctors and health workers are struggling to handle such a huge number of patients.
Working to ensure economic solvency of people at grassroots: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said her government has been working to ensure the economic solvency of the grassroots people in its relentless efforts to make Bangladesh a poverty-free country.
“If we want to build a poverty-free country, we’ve to bring the economic solvency for the common people," she said.
The Prime Minister said this while receiving donations for 'House Construction Fund by Private Finance' and 'Coronavirus Assistance Fund'. She joined the function virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
On her behalf, Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus received the cheques of donations from various public and private organisations and individuals at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League, said her party’s main principle is to improve the living standard of the common people and increase their purchasing capacity aimed at freeing them from the curse of poverty.
"If we want to accelerate industrialization alongside boosting the country’s trade and commerce, we've to create our own markets that require increased buying capacity of the masses," she said.
Turning to the Coronavirus pandemic, Hasina said, "We've to save the country as well as its people from its fallouts …we’ve been working to this end.”
Hasina said her government has been engaged in building a prosperous Bangladesh as envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She said Bnagabandhu’s dream of independence was to build a developed country where would people get food, clothes, housing, treatments and education.
The prime minister said Bangladesh had lost its glorious image following the assassination of the Father of the Nation on August 15, 1975, and the successive governments did nothing to restore the honour.
Awami League has been following Bangabandhu’s ideology since it returned to power turning Bangladesh into a developing nation, Hasina said, adding, “Bangladesh is now a developing nation. We’ve to retain this status and move ahead at the global stage with self-dignity, raising our heads high since we’re a victorious nation."
She assured the businessmen that they would not face any trouble in running their businesses as long as the Awami League is in power and urged them to contribute to the country’s this march forward.
The agencies under Industries Ministry that made contributions to the “House Construction Fund by Private Finance” are: Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), Bangladesh Still and Engineering Corporation (BSEC), Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Center (BITAC), Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM), Department of Patents, Design and Trademarks (DPDT), Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB), National Productivity Organisation (NPO), Office of the Chief Inspector of Boilers and SME Foundation.
The other agencies that provided donations are Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) and National University under the Education Ministry while Chattogram Port Authority, Mongla Port Authority, Karnaphuli Shipbuilders Ltd and Three Angle Marine Ltd under Shipping Ministry.
The organizations under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, Bangladesh Power Development Board, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd, Coal Power Generation Company Ltd, Ashuganj Power Generation Company Ltd, Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd, West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd, Northern Electric Supply Company Ltd, Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Ltd, Rural Power Company Ltd, BR Power Gen Company Ltd, North-West Power Generation Company Ltd, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) made contribution to the fund.
Also Bangladesh Independent Power Producers’ Association (BIPPA), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), S Alam Group, City Group, Meghna Group, Walton Group, Hosaf Group, PHG Group, Pran-RFL Group, Western Engineering Private Ltd, Bengal Group, Sheltec Group, Lather Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh, Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh, Envoy Group, Minister Group and Labib Group made contribution to the “Coronavirus Assistance Fund”.
Md Jasim Uddin, Chairman of Bengal Commercial Bank Ltd, who is also the FBCCI President, and Habib Ullah Dawn also made contributions to the fund.
Besides, different public and private organizations and individuals earlier contributed over Tk 263 crore to the “House Construction Fund by Private Finance” and Tk 110 crore to the “Coronavirus Assistance Fund," according to the data available at the PMO.
RU to hold exams scrapped in 2019, 2020 in-person from this month
The Rajshahi University authority has decided to hold the examinations in-person from June 20. The exams that were postponed in 2019, then in 2020 due to the pandemic, will all be held in two phases starting later this month.
The decisions came from a meeting held on Thursday between the university administration, deans of the faculties, chairpersons of the departments and directors of the institutes of the university.
Also read: DU to take exams online from July 1 if Covid situation remains unchanged
RU public relation office administrator professor Md. Ajijur Rahman informed this through a press release.
Engineering faculty dean professor Md. Ekramul Hamid said those examinations which were postponed in 2019 will start from June 20, and examinations from 2020 will be held from July 4.
Also read: All professional MBBS final exams postponed
Academic committees of each department will decide to make a routine for exams following the determined dates. They will shorten the syllabuses if needed, he added.
RU acting vice-chancellor professor Ananda Kumar Saha said dormitories of the university will open if the government instructs to that effect. Otherwise, the dormitories will remain closed.
Read Pros and Cons of Reopening Educational Institutions during Pandemic
Finance Minister wants to spend big to deal with Covid
As Covid-19 has devastated normal life, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed to allocate Tk 10,000 crore in the next fiscal year to meet the emergency requirements to respond to the pandemic.
While presenting it in Parliament on Thursday, the finance minister said the budget for FY2021-2022 has been prepared keeping in mind the strategies taken to facilitate the recovery in various sectors of Bangladesh from the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially to meet the challenges arising in the health sector and the vaccine application issue.
He said the global economy has been put at severe risk due to the prolonged effects of the pandemic and its second wave in different countries around the world.
Also read: Finance Minister writes a big cheque for health sector
Allocations have been made in the proposed budget to meet the targets of each ministry and divisions to address the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination strategy, management and steps.
The National Deployment and Vaccination Plan has been prepared under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to protect the lives of people from the Covid-19.
The government procured 3 crore doses of Covishield vaccine of Oxford-AstraZeneca from the Serum Institute of India.
In addition, the minister said, 6.80 crore doses of coronavirus vaccine will be available from the Covax facility under the World Health Organization for 20 percent of Bangladesh population, that is for 3.40 crore people. Out of this, 1.06 lakh doses have already been received.
He said there are plans to buy vaccines from the governments of China and Russia, Pfizer Co. from the USA and Sanofi/GSK from France/Belgium.
Negotiations are at the final stage for procuring Sinopharm vaccine from China and Sputnik-V vaccine from Russia, and, if necessary, manufacturing the same in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, 70 lakh doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine reached Bangladesh, and the governments of India and China gave 32 lakh doses and 5 lakh doses respectively of coronavirus vaccine as gifts.
The World Bank provided US$ 500 million for procuring Covid vaccines and US$ 14.87 million for logistic support.
Also read: Budget: Road to Graduation: Finance Minister shares opportunities, challenges
A loan agreement for US$ 940 million with the ADB to procure vaccines is at the final stage. Alongside, there is a good possibility to receive support for vaccine procurement from the European Investment Bank and AIIB.
Vaccination Plan
The finance minister said plans have been devised to vaccinate 80 percent of people in phases and in the first phase, people with risks will be vaccinated, and 25 lakh vaccines will be given each month.
He said the vaccination programme is being implemented at the field level through coordination between the EPI and the Communication Disease Control (CDC).
The first dose of vaccination in Bangladesh began on February 7 while that of the second dose began on 8 April.
Registration for vaccination and distribution of vaccine certificates and vaccine cards are being done digitally through the surokkha.gov.bd web portal using National ID cards.
Following the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) of the WHO and the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) of Bangladesh and considering the reality of our country, people aged 40 or above are given priority in the Covid-19 vaccination programme, who constitute 20 percent of the total population.
The vaccination programme is conducted in 1,005 hospital-based vaccination centres across the country. Up to 31 May 2021, 58,22,157 people received vaccines, of which 36,10,635 are male and 22,11,522 are female.
Out of them, 41,73,930 have completed their second doses. The corona vaccine and logistic cold chain management are handled through the existing EPI in the country and the cold chain system of the Directorate General of Health Services.
To keep the regular vaccination programme uninterrupted, senior staff nurses, assistant community medical officers have been assigned as vaccinators.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 30 more deaths, 1,687 new infections
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that the government will ensure free vaccination for all citizens of the country.
For this, the government will provide as much funds as is required to bear the expenses of procuring the required doses of vaccine, said the finance minister, adding, “We’ll make adequate allocations for this purpose in the budget.”
Bangladesh’s frontier districts brace for Covid ‘catastrophe’: Experts
Amid the growing Covid-19 cases, health experts fear that Bangladesh’s frontier districts await a serious healthcare crisis as most hospitals and health complexes there are ill-equipped to cope with any worsening situation.
They also voiced frustration as local administrations in different frontier districts are “buying time” in enforcing strict lockdowns and halting the inter-district transport services to control the virus locally.
They said the government should focus on preventing the spread of the virus transmission to other areas from the frontier ones and enhancing the number of hospital beds, treatment facilities, equipment, and ensuring an adequate supply of oxygen, high-flow nasal cannula and necessary medicines at hospitals and upazila health complexes in the bordering areas witnessing a surge in the virus infection rate.
Read Indian COVID variant: Why is it more deadly? How is it affecting the neighboring countries?
Covid cases are growing alarmingly in Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Satkhira, Khulna, Kushtia, Jashore, Naogaon and Natore since the last week of May apparently for the prevalence of the highly transmissible Indian variant.
According to a research conducted in India, one person carrying 1.617 known as the Indian variant, can infect about 406 people in just one month.
Though the government has already empowered local administrations to enforce lockdowns in the virus-affected districts, only Chapainawabganj has been put under lockdown so far.
Also read: Covid-19: Four Jashore hospitals ready to provide treatment
Jashore
Benapole land port is located in the district through which 60 to 70 passengers enter the country every day on average from India and the 'Indian variant' has already been found in some returnees from India.
The number of Covid patients is growing in the district alarmingly with around 24 percent infection rate, according to official sources.
There is a health complex in Navaran upazila, 14 km away from the land port, but it has neither any Covid unit nor adequate facilities to deal with Covid patients. Covid patients are being treated at the 250-bed Jashore General Hospital, but it has no central oxygen system. Cylinders are being used to give oxygen support to Covid patients.
Read What does it feel like to get COVID-19 after taking the vaccine?
Pros and Cons of Reopening Educational Institutions during Pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, schools and universities around the world have been temporarily closed. However, many countries have tried to open schools after the coronavirus rate fell down, but most of them could not remain open for a long time as the rate was upward again. Many university and college teachers in the United States, including Harvard University, were not interested in teaching directly.
Harvard University has asked students to refrain from coming to campus until further notice after the spring break last year. Students at Cambridge and the University of Massachusetts are told not to go on campus until the end of the summer semester of 2020. All educational institutions in China, including Wuhan, the birthplace of Corona, were closed for several months. Even almost all the US universities kept continuous online classes instead of on campus.
Why were the educational institutes around the world shut down during the pandemic?
More than 80 percent of the world's education is disrupted due to the closure of schools across the world due to COVID-19. The countries have decided to close all educational institutions so that students can avoid crowds at a safe distance from Corona. The educational institutions have been closed due to the rapid spread of coronavirus.
As we know that COVID spreads from one person to another, and educational institutions would have been the first place to spread the virus. That is why schools and universities were closed promptly to fight Corona and reduce the spread. However, it worked as planned and surely reduced the spread significantly.
Read Schools, colleges to reopen on June 13: Dipu Moni
Who Should the Educational Institutions be Reopened?
According to the World Bank, about 700 million students around the world have been trying to study and attend online classes worldwide. However, everyone is not getting the opportunity to sit online at home due to different reasons. Hence, it is necessary to reopen the school and universities as soon as possible.
According to a recent statistic published on the World Bank's website, about 2.5 million around the world did not have access to school long before Corona's existence. So, it is not difficult to say that the number of school dropouts will increase in different countries in the corona period.
Read Left student bodies demand reopening DU halls, vaccination of students
Pros of Reopening the Educational Institution
- On-campus learning is always a good way to teach the students. However, the remote learning opportunities have been increasing, but the school-going kids will not get enough benefits from it. While at school, students can interact with teachers and other students; hence, they can learn many things outside of their textbooks.
- Reopening the school will help the socialization skills of the kids. The lack of human interaction will negatively impact the social growth of the children. In-person school environments help the students to develop and maintain friendships as well as learning and behaving themselves.
- Many schools in the world offer meals for the students. Hence, the deprived children can eat properly in school. So, it can be said that the students from low-income families are not getting enough nutrition as the schools are closed.
- For most of the university-going students, whoever has the research-based courses badly needed to attend the campus. Although they might be doing online classes, they are not getting the proper education online.
Read Dhaka University teachers, students demand reopening campus
Cons of Reopening the Educational Institution
Although the schooling is going, kids may not be affected by the coronavirus, but the families, school staff, and teachers might get affected. So, reponing the school amidst a pandemic will put all of these people at risk. Besides, kids might have a lower risk, but they are not free from any kind of risk.
Most likely, the students will not obey their social distancing. Therefore, they will be at a huge risk, and the infection rate might increase.
If the infection rate increases again, then schools and universities will have to be closed again. Therefore, this will hamper the students' minds and peace.
Read Students protest, demand re-opening of their institutions
Things to Consider if the Educational Institution is Reopened
Although the infection rate decreases and increases, Corona has not gone away yet. As a result, the educational institution needs a second thought if they want to open again. As a result, specific guidelines should be given to the schools and the teachers on what to do. However, if the institutions are reopened, they can follow some guidelines.
Apply the Proper Social Distancing Guidelines
Guidelines should be on the notice board of every school and university. No teacher or educator can enter the school without a mask. Moreover, masks should be compulsory for the students. Parents must inform the school authorities about the student's health condition.
It is also important to see that social distance is maintained. Absolutely the students can't sit side by side in class. As a result, schools must specify how to conduct classes according to social distance. At the time of entering the school, arrangements must be made to measure the temperature of the students. Each school authority will keep a student temperature record. No visitors or parents should enter the school. Hands must also be sanitized when entering school.
Read University students to be vaccinated for reopening dorms: UGC
Separate Isolation Rooms Should be Kept in the School
If the schools reopen during the Coronavirus situation, each school should maintain the isolation room. Through this way, any affected teacher or staff can isolate themselves if they feel any symptoms while at school.
Sports or Events Should be Closed in all Schools
Any type of events and sports should not take place in the institution. To prevent this, school inspectors can check out with the school authorities. However, it might be difficult to keep the kids away from the playground, but school authorities should ensure all kinds of distancing at any cost.
However, we should keep in mind the infection and risk of death. Hence, the educational institutions should remain closed until the coronavirus cases fall significantly.
Read:IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long Healthy life