Medicos, academics want primary kids back in school

Nagpur: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief Balram Bhargava’s statement on reopening of primary schools has found support from doctors and academics.
Dr Vagish Katariya, a paediatrician, said he agrees with ICMR’s statement and feels primary kids must be encouraged to return to classrooms. “The receptors in our body on which the Covid-19 virus latches on are not present in high numbers in kids and that’s why transmissibility is very low. Also, in my clinic, I have seen that the majority of kids have antibodies even though there is currently no vaccine for them. So, there is a very strong case for reopening of primary schools and functioning as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by the government for schools,” said Dr Katariya.
Dr Nitin Shinde, infectious disease specialist, said, “It’s important to understand two things here. One is that students below 11 years won’t spread the virus, so it’s the adults around them who need to be vaccinated. Second is that schools can be reopened with environmental mitigation in place like keeping windows open and restricting the number of students in a classroom,” said Dr Shinde.
Ritu Sharma, principal of Delhi Public School (Kamptee Road), said that primary section students are ready for the ‘new normal’. “It’s been over a year and these kids have become used to living with Covid-appropriate behaviour. They are aware of precautions to take and with mentoring at school level, it will definitely be safe. Schools are taking a lot of precautions and follow all the SOPs issued by the government,” said Sharma.
However, some experts said precautions need to be taken despite all these things.
Dr Sanjay Marathe, an expert on vaccinology, said the school environment’s safety is important. “The smaller kids are not independent, so that puts a lot of onus on the caretakers to take a lot of precaution. It’s obvious that schools have to be reopened ultimately, but the safest mode is to have 70% of the local population vaccinated. School staff have to be definitely vaccinated,” said Dr Marathe.
Mrunalini Dasture, principal of South Public School, said it’s better to err on the side of caution. “ICMR data about anti-bodies being present in majority of people needs to be looked at in a localized manner as the situation may differ from city to city. Apart from that, it will be a bit difficult to manage primary kids who may not always follow rules due to their age,” said Dasture.