Schools Unlikely to Resume till COVID Vaccine Available: Sisodia

File image of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

(Photo: PTI)

Schools in the national capital are unlikely to reopen until a COVID-19 vaccine is available, said Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister. Schools in the capital have remains closed since 16 March when Centre announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

"We keep getting feedback from parents that they are really concerned about whether it is safe to reopen schools. It is not. Wherever schools have reopened, COVID-19 cases among children have risen. So we have decided that as of now schools in the national capital will not reopen. They will continue to be closed till further orders," Mr Sisodia had said then.

Delhi government has been against reopening schools in the capital in view of rising COVID-19 cases. The Centre in October has released guidelines for reopening schools in a phased manner and has left the decision to states to implement it.

Following the Union Home Ministry’s guidelines allowing states a flexible approach in reopening schools, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and a few others have reopened schools in a graded manner, mostly for Classes 9 to 12.

While attendance in schools that opened for physical classes did not see a massive jump, some in Haryana, Himachal and Uttarakhand were forced to shut all schools in the state after a jump in number of students and teachers who tested positive.

As of Wednesday, 25 November, Delhi has reported a total of 4,93,419 cases of which 38,501 cases are active, according to data published by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare.