As the number of instances of Covid-19 in Delhi continues to fall, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) may decide to reopen schools in the national capital on Friday, February 4. Several parent organisations have written letters and petitions to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal urging the Delhi government to reopen schools. In the most recent DDMA meeting, the Delhi government proposed that schools be reopened.
Manish Sisodia, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister, previously stated that the Delhi government had shuttered schools when conditions were unsafe for children, but that over-vigilance is currently harming students. "The pandemic-related school cancellations have had a negative impact on their academics as well as their mental health." The safety of the children was our top consideration during COVID. But, now that multiple studies have proven that COVID is not as damaging to children as previously thought, it is critical to reopen the schools, as exams and related preparations are approaching," Mr Sisodia said.
School principals and parents' associations also said that keeping schools closed is no longer a solution. According to a survey conducted by online platform Local Circles, 74 per cent Delhi parents do not support re-opening of schools at this time, while 66 per cent parents believe schools sould be reopened once test positivity rate (TPR) falls to 2 per cent or lower.
A delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and public policy specialist, had earlier met Sisodia and submitted a memorandum signed by over 1,600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened.