No plans to reopen schools in Delhi any soon: CM Arvind Kejriwal

While vaccine trials for children are currently underway in India, there are no vaccines which have been approved for use on children in the country yet.

There are currently no plans for re-opening schools in Delhi, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. “Internationally, there’s a trend of resurgence of Covid-19 through a third wave; thus, until the vaccination process does not get completed for everyone, we cannot risk the lives of children,” he said, refuting the idea of reopening schools in Delhi amid a fall in the number of Covid cases in the city.

While vaccine trials for children are currently underway in India, there are no vaccines which have been approved for use on children in the country yet.

After its deadly second wave, the city is currently experiencing the lowest number it has seen since the early days during the start of the pandemic in the country last year. The city has been maintaining a positivity rate below 0.2% since June 23.

Last week, the DDMA had passed an order that schools and educational institutions can use 50% capacity of their auditorium and assembly halls for the purpose of training and meetings. Delhi government schools are set to conduct staggered parent-teacher meetings in the schools between July 19 and 31, and among the items on the agenda for these meetings was to get the views of parents on the question of re-opening schools.

However, the CM’s statement on Thursday made it clear that even as other establishments in the city have reopened during this drop in cases, schools will remain shut. The Delhi government has also been emphasising that it is preparing for a possible third wave that it has been claiming is likely to affect children more than past waves.

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