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| Amid 2nd wave of COVID-19, parents worries over safety of their children in schools | | ‘Authorities must shun macho approach; act sanely to save kids from deadly virus’ | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 19: Amid the mounting apprehensions of the second wave of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir, parents here are worried that sending their kids to schools in view of the prevalent tumultuous circumstances would be akin to throwing them into a “death well.” The situation in both the regions of Jammu as well as in Kashmir valley is similar with parents anguished over the government decision of exhibiting a macho approach by remaining adamant about re-opening of the schools even when COVID threat was menacingly looming large.
“There are kids as old as four or five years. Do you even have equanimity to understand that schools will expose them to this deadly virus for their no fault? It is beyond logic that when COVID is there and the second wave is coming, how come the government is behaving in such an arrogant manner?,” said a parent whose kid is studying in Class 1st at a private school here.
In Kashmir Valley, the air is thick with anxiety with parents in no mood to send their kids to the school at this point of time. “We want our children to study but not at the cost of their lives. The government authorities wanted to show their performance that they were able to open the school in the pandemic. They are forgetting the fact that this pseudo machoism of theirs will cost the lives of our kids,” says a valley based parent. Schools in Kashmir are slated to open on March 1 but the parents in unison are likely to reject the decision taken by the authorities after thorough deliberations.
Head of Chest Diseases Hospital Dr Naved Nazir Shah on Thursday warned against a second wave, saying indications in this regard have started to come. “Beware and cautious Indications of a second wave beginning to come. Maharashtra/Kerala starting to heat up again, take vaccine whosoever gets an opportunity and take precautions.” he said in a tweet.
On Friday, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 81 fresh COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, there were three fresh deaths in the Valley due to the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the number of people succumbing to the virus in J&K to 1954—725 in Jammu and 1229 in the Valley.
“” The situation is absolutely precarious. We cannot take it for granted. The government has to take requisite measures so that the second wave doesn’t wreak havoc on Jammu and Kashmir. Instead of showcasing their abilities to re-open schools, the authorities must rack their brains and decide what needs to be done to minimize the damage the second wave could cause,” says an official here.
Meanwhile, sources within the department of education have divulged that there has been no information received so far from the higher ups about whether the schools should remain open when the apprehensions of the second wave of COVID are gaining momentum with each passing day. “There may be some development in this regard within a day or two. However so far there has been no concrete decision taken over whether the schools should be closed again,” the official added. |
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