The rising number of cases reported among the teaching staff of schools has created an alarming situation in Goa. Concerned about the same, the government in Goa has now announced that school teachers with Covid positive kin at home, should not be asked to come to school until they have completed their term of home isolation. To break the chain of transmission, through schools, the Chief Minister of Goa has stated, "No teacher should be called to schools when there is a positive case at their homes."

Schools shut in Goa as teachers test positive

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In November end, Goa had permitted all schools in the state to start offline classes, at institute premises for students of classes 10 and 12. These offline classes, though authorised by a strict SOP, are still centres that vulnerable to the susceptibility of the virus, as the teachers still continue to take offline classes from the school campus. As feared, various schools in the coastal state faced a shut down after teachers started testing positive for COVID-19. A school in the Ponda sub-district in South Goa had to be shut down after a Class 10 teacher tested positive. Similar cases of infection were reported in the Cujira education complex near Panaji, as well as another school in Curchorem town in South Goa. The state has thus decided to isolate infected teachers, to ensure the safety of the attending students and other staff members.

Earlier the state had said that schools will be opened in a gradual, graded manner with respect to the infection spread, to minimise the chances of disease spread from educational institutes. However, now, perturbed by the growing cases here, the Chief Minister reportedly said, "No decision yet on the resumption of teaching for Class 9 and Class 11. It is on hold. The decision to resume Class 10 and 12 studies was taken to enable students to prepare for board examinations."

With the virus growing at a rate of 0.2% in Goa, the total infection caseload stands at 49,131, with about 1,213 active cases. The recuperation rate has zoomed to a 96.1% with a total of 47, 215 recoveries. The state has also witnessed 703 deaths, since the outbreak of the virus.

SOPs must be followed at all times!

As the academic session is in its last leg, schools in the state also need to find alternative/substitute teachers to ensure that the students do not face the brunt of this decision. Institutes also need to ramp up their sanitation process and impose the standard operating procedure, weeding out any laxity, to ensure safety at all times.