TN Schools: Standard Operating Procedures To Be Followed TN Schools

Tamil Nadu will resume School from September 1, as announced earlier. Due to the Covid pandemic, the schools were closed, and the students were attending online classes for almost one and half years. A maximum of the students did not attend online classes due to a lack of network facilities and smartphones.

At a particular point, students were tired of this long break and are now waiting to get back to school. Many private school students have moved to government schools in recent days. And the schools are expected to be opened so as the covid cases are declining in the state and the spread of covid is under control.

Tamil Nadu Director of Public Health and  Preventive Medicine Standard Operating Procedure for reopening of schools have been issued today. It is mandatory for all schools to follow Standard operating procedures. Corona prevention measures and guidelines must be followed if schools with 50% of students are to be opened.

The Deputy  Director of Health Services is instructed to ensure that the Standard Operating Procedure is followed with strict adherence without any deviation.

• Every school must have a sanitiser, and it is a must to make sure that the covid protocols are followed.
• Teachers and the staff must have been vaccinated. And this must be ensured 100%
• Teachers and students with corona symptoms should not be allowed on school premises.
• Precautionary measures such as wearing a mask, washing hands and maintaining social distancing must be strictly followed.
• Multivitamin tablets, vitamin c pills and immune boosters must be given to the students.
• All the PHCs should be alerted to handle any suspected symptomatic children as per Standard Operating Procedure.
• All students with eligible age per group for vaccination should be vaccinated.
• Ensure that only 50% of the students are allowed at a time.
• Health Inspector/ Block Health supervisions non-medical supervisors to be assigned to each and every school, including private institutions, to monitor the flow up of Standard Operating Procedure. 
• School campus cleaning and the creation of sufficient handwashing facilities will be the responsibility of the local body/ school management.
• SCreening entire school children and the teachers to be done in a week's of time using RSBK team, if needed other PHC team may be mobilized. Screening of school children should include co-morbidity.
• MMU team should be available in the blocks, and their contact details to be shared with schools for contacting them in case of emergency.
• Symptomatic students/teachers or staff shall not be allowed inside the campus.

Ensure proper cleaning and sanitation facilities in the schools.

• Arrange for thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas, furniture, equipment, stationery, storage places, water tanks, kitchens, canteens, washroom, laboratories, libraries, etc., on campus and ensure airflow in indoor spaces.
• The thermometer to be used should be a calibrated contact-less infrared digital thermometer.
• Ensure sanitization of school transport before they start using it.

Some alternative methods are suggested to school authorities on staggering timetables.

• One way of ensuring physical/social distancing is to have flexible, staggered and reduced timings planned for different classes in such a way that physical/ social distancing is maintained along with other guidelines.
• Asking only 50% of the students to attend the schools depending on the enrolment, rotationally on alternate days, or every two days in a week and combining with the home assignments could be another mechanism.