General Secretary of Praja Arogya Vedhika (PAV) T. Kameswara Rao has requested Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to announce holidays for schools immediately after Sankranti. He also urged the Chief Minister to improve facilities in the hospitals, increase COVID-19 tests by announcing health emergency.
In a letter to Mr. Jagan, the PAV Secretary said that people are in panic mode due to increase in COVID-19 cases. Already there is a rise in COVID-19 cases in the rural parts of the State. Neighbouring States have already declared holidays for educational institutions, he reminded, suggesting that classes may be resumed online. The PAV member also asked Mr. Jagan to strengthen medical facilities in the rural areas
Meanwhile, State Convener of the Child Rights Protection Forum (CRPF), Visakhapatnam, Gondu Sitaram, on Sunday appealed to the State government to declare holidays for one week to 10 days for all schools in the State in the wake of COVID-19 situation.
He said that he has written letters to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister on the issue. In arelease on Sunday, he said that the COVID-19positivity rate is around 13.87% across the state, due to which a high percentage of students and their parents are frightened to send children to schools. He said that the COVID-19 cases are likely to increase after Sankranti holidays.