18,000 government school teachers undergo COVID-19 tests ahead of schools reopening in East Godavari

East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy has made it mandatory for every teacher in the government school to undergo the COVID-19 test in order to be allowed to attend the school

Representational photo.

At least 18,000 teachers serving in the government schools have undergone the COVID-19 tests, before joining duty, as schools are reopening on November 2, in East Godavari district.

East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy has made it mandatory for every teacher in the government school to undergo the COVID-19 test in order to be allowed to attend the school, apart from implementing the SMS (Sanitization, Mask Use and Social Distance) initiative in the schools.

District Education Officer S. Abraham told

The Hindu, "90 % of the 18,000 teachers of the government schools in the East Godavari district have already undergone the COVID-19 test and the rest will take the test by November 2".

In the case of private schools, guidelines are being prepared to ensure that every teacher should undergo the COVID-19 test. Nearly 10,000 teachers are in service in the private schools in the district.

"By November 2, we will ensure that all the teachers are tested for the COVID-19 both in the government and private schools. The district administration cannot afford to reopen the schools without every teacher being tested for the COVID-19, to prevent further spread of the disease from the teacher to the students", said Mr. Abraham.

The district authorities are yet to decide whether the schools would be reopened with half of the student strength or with limited classes per day.

"Formally, we have geared up to reopen the schools from November 2 and a detailed plan on how to run the school is yet to be received from the higher authorities", said Mr. Abraham.