It is 'wise' to reopen primary schools first, ICMR Chief

On Tuesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) DG Dr Balram Bhargava said that the schools must reopen whenever it is possible as children have better immunity and they can handle viral infections better than adults.

He also added that many Scandinavian countries did not close schools during any Covid-19 waves.

Hindustan Times reported ICMR chief's quote, “Once India starts considering, it’ll be wise to open primary schools first before opening secondary schools All the support staff, whether it be school bus drivers, teachers and other staff members in the schools need to need to be vaccinated.”

"We know clearly that children can handle viral infections much better than adults. Antibody exposure is also similar in children as adults," he added.

In India, schools are shut almost continuously since March last year, when Covid 19 pandemic first hit the country.

Recently, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria also advocated the staggered reopening of schools. He suggested that where the cases are dipping, schools can be reopened and if surveillance hints that the infection is spreading again, classes can be shut immediately.

During September 2020, some states resumed normal classes but schools were again forced to switch classes to the online mode due to an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases.

Read more: