COVID-19: Schools reopen in TN with Covid norms in place

CHENNAI: With their backpacks and donning face masks, school children settled down for physical classes on Tuesday as several institutions across Tamil Nadu reopened for Classes 1 to 12, following stringent COVID-19 precautions. The students were provided hand sanitiser and had their temperature checked as they stepped into the portals of education after enjoying stretched holidays owing to the pandemic and mid-January Pongal festival.

The strict social distancing norm of seating two students per bench was resorted to in many schools. Some educational institutions preferred to continue online classes. Ahead of the reopening, the administration had thoroughly sanitised the classrooms and premises and welcomed their students with thermal scanners and hand sanitiser.

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On January 28, the state government permitted physical classes from 1 - 12 standards in all schools from today, while exempting playschools and nursery schools. The government had also announced a revised schedule for the first revision test for classes 10 and 12 from February 9 - 16, and the second beginning from March 28 to April 5.

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Questioning the timing of reopening schools, S Raghavan, a parent of plus two students, here, said students in the 15 - 17 age group are due for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine from this week. “The government had even announced the revised schedule for tests. But does the government have any plans for administering the second dose?” If so, how will the children cope if they develop fever and write the test?” he wondered.

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According to a senior official in the education department, many schools including the state-run institutions reopened today. On inoculation, he expressed preparedness on the department’s part and said “we will launch the second vaccine camp once the health department communicates to us.”