DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government on Sunday released standard operating procedures (SOP) for private boarding and non-boarding schools in the state ahead of their reopening for Classes 10 and 12.
Madan Kaushik, state cabinet minister and spokesperson for the government said, "The elaborate SOPs have been issued to ensure the safety of students from Covid-19. Schools will be opening from next month and we all should be careful.and follow the safety protocols."
The SOP for government-run residential schools will be issued separately.
According to the guidelines issued in the SOPs, only those students who have a Covid-19 negative report and are asymptomatic will be allowed to stay in the hostels. The hostels should arrange separate quarantine areas for teaching and other staff as well as for students.
Covid-19 negative reports of the staff and students will be submitted to the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of the respective district 72-hours before the reopening of the school.
The SOP also states that if any student is quarantined, schools will have to make arrangements for their online studies along with food and safety.
The guidelines also mention that those staying in the quarantined areas on campus should be served with hot food.
The hill state and its cities such as Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nainital and others are home to famous boarding schools with illustrious list of alumni.
Except for the designated staff in the hostels, entry of others has been barred and the authorities must ensure distancing between beds inside the rooms.
Local district administration and school management will also have to make sure that the cooks test negative for Covid-19 and their thermal screening is done before they enter the kitchen. The kitchen staff must maintain hygiene.
Sanitization of the school kitchen will be done 24-hours before its use and hot water with temperature above 60 degree Celsius should be used for washing and disinfect utensils.