Bhubaneswar: A day after the Odisha government announced reopening of primary schools for students of classes I to V, Dr Rama Raman Mohanty, Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) said Wednesday that the decision may be revoked in view of the prevailing Omicron situation.
Cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been on the rise in India. So far 21 states including Odisha have reported more than 900 cases of Omicron infection.
“The Odisha government may have taken the decision to reopen primary schools keeping in mind situation before the emergence of the Omicron variant. Also the daily Covid-19 cases in Odisha had dropped below the 200-mark,” Mohanty said.
“However, the decision may be revoked as the situation is more complex now and Omicron cases are increasing,” he added.
Mohanty informed that Covid19 cases in India registered 40 per cent increase Wednesday. He said the Health Department is mulling over the steps to be taken for curbing the infections.
“People should stay away from crowded places, wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash their hands regularly as a part of precautionary measure. These are the ways to prevent the spread of the virus,” informed Mohanty.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash had earlier announced Tuesday that primary schools in Odisha that had been closed since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 would reopen January 3, 2022.
It meant that close to 27,000 schools in the state would have the students back in classes I to V. The decision evoked mixed reactions among educationalists and parents of the students with a majority of them opposing the decision.
Many parents had opined that as the kids tend not to follow protocols they would be prone to getting infected by the virus.
PNN