Schools can reopen if precautions in place: WHO

WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said that schools can be reopened with precautions and that it is important to monitor and evaluate the situation.

New Delhi: World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, on Tuesday, said that schools can be reopened if all precautions are in place and the situation can be monitored.

"School opening should be based on local epidemiological data. There is no question of opening schools where transmission is high. Risks vs benefits need to be assessed," said Swaminathan.

The statement given by Swaminathan assumes significance as state governments across the country have been exploring options to reopen schools. Schools have been closed since lockdown-I, announced in March.

The Unlock phase III has also suggested keeping schools and other educational institutions closed.

Interestingly, the central government on Monday said that the opening of schools will depend on the Covid-19 situation. The government also ruled out on the decision of a timeline to reopen schools. It said that health ministry and other stakeholders will be consulted before taking any decision.

As on Tuesday, India has 2.27 million confirmed Covid-19 cases with a case fatality rate below 2 per cent.

Health Ministry statistics said that nearly 16 lakh COVID-19 recoveries have been reported in India with a significant 70 per cent rate. At least 47,746 patients have been discharged in the last 24 hours.

The actual caseload of active Covid-19 cases stands at 6,39,929 which is 28.21 per cent of the total positive cases. The gap between recovered and active cases now stands at 9.5 lakh.

The total death due to Covid-19 in the country now stands at 45,257.