Students of Classes I to VIII are set to return to 2,064 government, aided and private schools in Coimbatore district on Monday after a gap of 19 months, during which physical classes remained suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to officials from the Department of School Education, 3,90,365 students are studying in Classes I to VIII at primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools of government, aided and private managements across the district. As attendance is not compulsory on the reopening day, around 50% of these students are expected to be present in the schools on Monday. To prevent overcrowding, schools with a large number of students have been instructed by Chief Educational Officer (CEO) N. Geetha to conduct physical classes on alternate days for Classes I to VIII.
All classrooms have been cleaned and disinfected and over 90% of the teachers have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the district, officials said. While all schools have been instructed to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols, wearing of masks inside classrooms might not be made mandatory for students in the initial days, particularly for classes I to V, to avoid discomfort for the children, according to the officials.
The Health Department will carry out random sample collection from the schools in the district following the reopening, officials said.
In the event of any student or teacher testing positive for COVID-19, they will be asked to isolate themselves at their residences and samples of their close contacts will be collected. Henceforth, schools are unlikely to be shutdown if any COVID-19 positive cases were reported and all schools have been instructed by the CEO to ensure that no cluster of cases are formed, the officials said.