COVID Cases In Maharashtra Are Still On The Rise, But State Set To Reopen Schools From Mid June
Maharashtra is the worst COVID-19 hit state in India and accounts for 47,190 of the 1,32,092 total cases reported in the country and 1557 out of the 3,869 deaths recorded so far.?
Though there is no official acknowledgment of community transmission, even in Mumbai, many experts have said that it is already happening in the state and warned that the situation will worsen further in the coming days.?
Given this situation reopening of schools should be the least priority of the government, but Maharashtra is planning to reopen them in a phased manner.Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has said that schools will reopen from June 15 in a gradual and phased manner.?
According to her schools in non-red areas reopening first.Gaikwad told The Indian Express that once the school reopens, classes will be run on shifts and with shortened school hours.?
To maintain social distancing only one student will be permitted on one desk and shifts will be based either students with odd roll numbers in the first shift and the ones with even roll numbers in the second shift or to call to a batch of class students every alternate day.Activities such as morning assemblies and sports will be banned to maintain social distancing.?
While reopening of schools comes as a welcome relief for the students and their parents who were grappling with uncertainty it is a huge risk that the schools and the Maharashtra government are taking.?
In Europe, some 22 countries have already reopened schools after the lockdown, and according to reports have not shown a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.In France, 40,000 primary schools have reopened since lockdown was lifted on 11 May along with some middle schools.?
In the UK, there has been strong opposition to the government's plans to reopen schools in England on 1 June. Some scientists, councils, and teachers' unions say it's too soon to welcome pupils back safely.?
Unlike in most of Europe, where schools reopened after the number of new infections came down significantly, in the case of Maharashtra, the number of cases are still on the rises and on Saturday 2,940 more people tested positive for the virus, the highest single-day increase in any state so far.?
The reopening of schools will also pose another challenge to the state as many of them are currently used as isolation facilities for migrant workers and those returning to the state.? ?
