Covid-19: Masks made compulsory at private, govt schools in Indian state

Amid Covid-19 concerns, the Uttarakhand government made masks mandatory in private, as well as government schools.

Uttarakhand Director General of Education Bansidhar Tiwari said:

"Students, teachers and other employees of private and government schools will have to come wearing masks and use sanitiser/thermal screening."

Tiwari said that instructions have been given to the principals of all private and government schools that every employee, teacher and child will have to wear masks in the school.

"No one will be allowed to enter the school without a mask," he said.

He further said that social distancing instructions ought to be followed as much as possible, and awareness campaigns regarding Covid should be conducted on a large scale in schools, so that the incoming danger of the virus can be averted in advance.

Earlier, the Karnataka government made masks mandatory in schools and colleges, in the wake of a surge in Covid cases in several countries.

The teachers at the school have been instructing students to wear masks in school.

Last week, the Uttarakhand Health Secretary in charge Dr R Rajesh Kumar reviewed the Covid-19 situation through a virtual medium.

He said that all the District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officers were to ensure preparation for rescue and control related to Covid-19 variants in their respective districts, as per the guidelines issued by the Government of India in June 2022.

According to the Union Health Ministry sources, the next 40 days will be crucial as India may see a surge of Covid cases in mid-January.

The sources said that the assessment had been made after analysing the previous trends of the coronavirus surge the country experienced.

As there have been reports of a surge in cases in some countries, the operational readiness of health facilities is being reviewed in all States and Union Territories, in case of another wave.

At least 39 international travellers have tested positive for Covid-19 between December 24-26 as the random testing of international passengers arriving at the airports is being done.

In light of the surge in Covid in some countries, hospitals across India conducted mock drills. The purpose of these drills was to evaluate the country's coronavirus preparedness in terms of resources, protocol and personnel.

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