Abstract
Justification
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected schooling for more than 24 crores students, since March 2020. Students need a respite from the long standing social isolation so that they regain their chance to develop holistically, but after the devastating effects of the second wave, the administrators as well as parents are skeptical about the decision of school reopening.
Process
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics constituted a task force comprising of national and international experts in the field who deliberated on the issue.
Objectives
To bring out scientifically supported guidelines on the prerequisites of opening and attending the schools, in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommendations
The task force recommends i) Decentralization of the school reopening decision; ii) Three epidemiological parameters, case positivity rate (<5 or steadily declining number of cases for past two weeks), number of new cases(<20 per lakh population per day for past two weeks) and vaccination coverage (>60% of the vaccine-eligible population) to be met at the local level, before the schools reopen; and iii) Criteria regarding health and vaccination to be met by the schoolattendees.
Keywords: COVID-19, Education, Formal education, Pandemic
Footnotes
Funding
None
Competing interests
None stated.
Contributors
All authors were part of the IAP Task Force on School Reopening, 2021, that formulated these guidelines. PG, GVB, BJP and SG conceived the guidelines, prepared the agenda, and executed administratively. PG led the discussions and all the members actively participated. DS, RR, SSK, SZ, GVB contributed on the epidemiological aspects. ND and VMV contributed on the vaccination issues. SG and SZ reviewed the literature. SG and SZ wrote the first draft. ND and AP suggested edits. RKT and PG did the final edits. All the authors approved the final recommendations of the guidelines.
References
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