Amidst the outbreak of the new contagious Omicron Covid-19 variant spreading briskly across the world, Mumbai Education Department has decided to reopen schools from class one to seven. The Omicron epicenter Tshwane in South Africa has witnessed a greater number of Omicron cases in kids, according to the reports of The National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa.
Parents, whose children are in the pre-primary section, are appealing to the government to reopen schools for ages three to five. Parents want their children to attend school, although a new threat is waiting for these kids who are not even vaccinated against coronavirus.
Doctor Prakash Vaidya, a pediatrician from Mumbai said, “I would tell parents of children who are sent to playgroup and nursery schools to introspect whether this is really necessary. Omicron prima facie seems much more transmissible but not necessarily causing more severe disease, though these are early days. So, not letting your guard down and reinforcing Covid appropriate behaviour is the need of the hour. If it spreads, we will have to review the decision of reopening schools though.”
Another Mumbai-based pediatrician named Doctor Vaidehi Dande shares similar advice. According to her, all the basic precautions are to be taken to ensure the safety of kids. She emphasized parents getting vaccinated is a precautionary measure for kids.
Free Press Journal interacted with parents to know if they are taking any special care for their children amidst the outbreak. Gayatri Sabrawahl, mother of two kids going to primary and pre-primary schools said, “Variants are going to come and go but we cannot keep fearing them. I am not taking any special care, I just take the usual precautions like making them wear masks, sanitizing them every now and then, and not taking them to crowded places.”
