Delhi Govt To Issue Covid-19 Guidelines For Schools Today As Cases Surge

“Covid cases have slightly increased but there is no rise in hospitalisation, so we need not worry. There is no need to panic but stay alert,” ANI quoted Sisodia as saying.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia (File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Amid concerns over the rise in coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Delhi government will on Friday issue Covid-19 guidelines for schools.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia made the statement in this regard earlier on Thursday.

“Covid cases have slightly increased but there is no rise in hospitalisation, so we need not worry. There is no need to panic but stay alert,” ANI quoted Sisodia as saying.

“Since Covid is there, we have to learn to live with it. We are constantly monitoring the situation. A general guideline to be introduced for schools tomorrow,” he added.

Sisodia’s remarks came after a teacher and a student of a private school in South Delhi were found Covid-19 positive.

The other students, who were in the same class, were sent home after the Covid case was detected.

The guidelines assume significance as the schools started to function fully offline from April 1 after all Covid related curbs were lifted earlier on February 28 considering the low positivity rate.

Earlier on Thursday, Delhi reported 325 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours with a case positivity rate of 2.39 percent.

Commenting on the fees hike in school, Sisodia said the government has not allowed the Delhi schools to increase their fees since 2015, adding the private schools have been allowed to increase their fees only to 2 to 3 percent.

“Since 2015 we didn't permit the private schools to increase fees and continued till 2020 in wake of Covid. But now we have allowed very limited schools to increase by 2-3 per cent,” he said.

Sisodia said action will be taken against the schools, which are increasing fees on their own.

Meanwhile, 44 children tested Covid-19 positive in the last seven days in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida city.

Of the total children who tested positive, 16 of them are below 18 years

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) said there are 167 cases in Noida, adding the percentage of children affected is 26.3 percent, ANI reported.