Reopen schools, says expert panel on 3rd wave to Karnataka govt
An expert committee set up to suggest measures to tackle the anticipated third Covid wave, headed by cardiac surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty, has strongly recommended reopening of schools along with health insurance of Rs 2 lakh for each child attending the offline classes.
The ‘High Level Expert Committee for Prevention and Management of Covid Wave-3’ submitted its interim report to the state government on Saturday. It covers special requirements and various aspects of healthcare delivery. “We have recommended a health cover of Rs 2 lakh to every child going to school to be sponsored by the state. This is not life insurance cover. The same has been tried in some countries. This way, we can build confidence among parents to send their wards to schools,” a panel member said. The possibility of schools becoming infection hubs has not been proved anywhere in the world, the report says. “There is an urgent need to offer scientific and definitive guidance for school reopening as any delay in achieving near normalisation of schooling will be more detrimental than Covid-19 itself,”. The panel has recommended that all government, aided and unaided schools in rural areas, smaller towns and bigger towns be reopened.
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