Most governments in India including Telangana have closed educational institutions due to Covid pandemic. People are so panicky that only closure of colleges and schools is the only solution to fight the virus. In Telangana, all educational institutions have been shut since January 7, before Sankranti vacation. Now the closure is extended till January 30.
We don’t know when they will be reopened as the daily cases have been going up for the last few days and the numbers may stay high beyond January 31 too. If that’s so, governments have no ground to open the schools and colleges and the holidays may be further extended without any solution in sight.
But, this is not the way to deal with Covid, whether it is Omicron or some other variant. All students must be vaccinated and enough medical facilities and supplies like nearby hospitals and medicines should be kept available to these institutions, if necessary. Closing schools and colleges for the sake of some co-morbid patients who may need hospitalization is definitely not a solution for us.
