Bhubaneswar: Ahead of reopening of classes from 11 to 8 from August 21 and 25, the state government on Friday issued elaborate guidelines to ensure that the Covid protocol was strictly adhered to by the institutions.
Here is the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Health, Hygiene and other safety protocols before Opening of Schools.
A. General Guidelines on school opening and attendance of teachers/students/staff:
1. Only schools outside the containment zones shall be allowed to open. Further, students, teachers and employees living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the school. Students, teachers and employees shall also be advised not to visit areas falling within containment zones. Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, these
decisions will be taken by the District Collector. The District Collector will also direct the relevant schools to immediately shut down in case their zone is declared as a containment zone.
2.Prior to resumption of activities, all work areas including furniture, libraries, laboratories, storage places, water tanks, kitchen, washrooms/toilets, and other areas of common use shall be sanitized with particular attention to
frequently touched surfaces.
3.Schools may not reopen without 100% access to potable drinking water and adequate functional toilets for all students. Any school without access to the above must first make these arrangements before reopening.
4.School provided transportation should also be discouraged to reduce risk. Parents must ensure that they take responsibility of the child’s commute to school. Where plying, transport facilities may run at maximum of 50%
capacity with adequate sanitization before picking up and after dropping students.
5.High risk staff members with severe ailments or underlying conditions must take extra precaution.
6.No student should be coerced to come to school. Only those parents and students who feel comfortable attending school should do so.
B. Provisions to be made inside schools:
1.For ensuring social distancing and queue management inside and at the entrance of the premises, specific markings on the floor/ground with a gap of 6 feet should be made.
2. Inside classrooms, students should be made to sit at safe distances/alternate desks. Fixed seating should be ensured. A particular seat/space should be earmarked for each student (for example: based on roll number) so that there is limited exposure to other students’ physical spaces.
3. Similarly, physical distancing shall also be maintained in staff rooms (by earmarking seats for teachers at an adequate distance), and other common areas (mess, libraries, cafeterias, etc.) with relevant markings as
required.
4. If available, temporary space or outdoor spaces (in case of pleasant weather) may be utilized for conducting classes, keeping in view the safety and security of the children and physical distance protocols.
5. There must be adequate soap (solid/liquid) and running water in all washrooms and toilets. Hand sanitizers etc. for the teachers, students, and staff must be available mandatorily in each classroom. Students should be encouraged to sanitize their hands when entering and leaving classrooms and toilets.
6. Any staff entrusted with cleaning/sweeping duties must be informed and trained about the cleaning/sanitization processes as well as general norms for waste management and disposal.
7. The school should display state helpline numbers and also numbers of local health authorities etc. to teachers/students/employees to contact in case of any emergency. Other posters related to the preventive measures
about COVID-19 must also be displayed.
8.A separate isolation room has to be marked in the school and kept ready. This room may be used in case any student or staff develops Covid symptoms.
9. The Composite School Grant under Samagra Sikhya may be used for purchase of all relevant cleaning and sanitization material. If required the help of the Local Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) may be sought for.
SOP after Opening of Schools:
Monitoring Team to be made along with SMC/SMDC members.
1. Every school must have a Covid Monitoring Team comprising of 1 teachers &1 parent member from SMC/SMDC.
2. The responsibility of the Monitoring Team will be to ensure health and hygiene within the school This team will come to school 30 minutes early and leave 30 minutes after school hours to ensure full cleanliness/sanitization In school.
3. Emergency response Have clear plan n place for contingencles and take action anytime there ts an emergency or risk m school.In addition, the team will also support the HM for preparatIon and implementation of all calendars, schedules and activities in the school. HM will decide the school schedule, calendar, take decision on academic activities with a key consideration towards ensuring the right balance between learning and safety of students and continuing to focus on regular learning at home for those students who are unable to come to school for any reason.
Regular monitoring of Hygiene and Sanitation inside the school
1. School campus should be cleaned daily and a daily record of areas cleaned may be maintained. Note that students should not be involved in any of the cleaning activities for health and safety reasons.
2. Provision of soap(solid/liquid) in toilets and hand sanitizers in other places/facilities of common use should be ensured.
3. Students and employee should be strictly advised to wear masks and not dispose of used face covers/ masks inside the school. All students and staff are to arrive at school wearing a face cover/mask and continue
wearing it all through, especially when in class, or doing any activity in groups. Care should be taken to ensure and educate children not to exchange masks with others.
4. Mandatory hand washing for all students and staff at regular intervals as per the planned protocol following physical/social distancing norms should be ensured Hand washing time should be a minimum of 40 seconds.
5. Every child needs to learn how to cough or sneeze into a tissue/elbow and avoid touching face, eyes, mouth, and nose.
6. Students commuting through public transport should be adequately guided by schools to take all precautions such as physical/social distancing, covering nose and mouth with up face cloth/masks, sanitizing hands after
touching any surface etc.
7. Students should not share any material (textbooks, notebooks, pen, pencil, eraser, tiffin box, water botties, etc.) with each other.
8. Spitting should be absolutely prohibited.
9. Windows and doors of the classrooms and other rooms to be kept open for ventilation.
10. Regular health check-up of students, staff and employees should be organized by Block and District office with the help of local Medical Officers. This officer should conduct regular checks through the School Health Programme.
Kalinga AI