Bhubaneswar: Odisha government will consider closing down schools once again if Covid cases rise among minors, Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) chief CBK Mohanty said Tuesday.
Holding the families responsible for the surge in Covid-19 cases among the children and adolescents under 18 years, Mohanty advised parents to compulsorily inform the administration in case they develop symptoms of SARI/ ILI.
To minimise the risk of infection and mortality, parents must right away inform the administration and get their kids tested for Covid at the soonest if they develop symptoms such as cold, cough and fever, Mohanty said.
If people do not pay any heed and cases among children continue to rise, the state government may have to consider planning for shutting down the schools once again, he added.
Meanwhile, Director of Health Services Bijay Mohapatra emphasised the need for extensive surveillance on virus cases. Mohapatra urged parents not to send their kids to school if they exhibit any Covid symptoms.
Mohapatra added that at present around 0.2 per cent of children infected with Covid-19 have been admitted to ICU but no one is under ventilator support. Most of the children infected by the virus have mild symptoms, he informed.
