COVID-19 impact: 81% parents of India in favour of schools being shut through May and reopening on June 1

March 25, 2020, New Delhi: With COVID-19 putting the entire country under a lockdown, all schools across the country have also been ordered to stay shut till the end of this month. Children, though the least affected group in China, are found to be the fastest transmitters of the virus and in turn can have a devastating impact on the elderly in the family, who are most susceptible. Experts have also been calling children ‘super spreaders’ due to how they move around the society and given the fact that social distancing as an approach does not work with them.

Post the COVID-19 outbreak, parents have been the most anxious lot and LocalCircles has received thousands of posts and comments from parents across India about keeping children safe and many of them even demanded that the schools be shut down when the first COVID-19 case was reported in India. The patient, a parent at a Noida school was found to be COVID-19 positive on March 2nd and on the same day many children in Noida schools were tested. 2 schools were subsequently shut for a week.

Given the current situation, what should be way forward as far as spring session is considered which in many parts of India commences in the first week of April is a common discussion point amongst parents. To understand the public opinion, LocalCircles conducted a survey and asked parents if the schools across the country be shut through April and May and be scheduled to reopen on June 01.

COVID-19 impact: 81% parents of India in favour of schools being shut through May and reopening on June 1

The survey received 10,860 responses from parents located in 207 cities of India and 81% parents of India seem to be in in favour of schools being shut through May and reopening on June 1. Only 9% parents voted against it, while 10% were unsure.

If this were to happen, according to majority of the parents, the risk of COVID-19 would be largely minimised, assuming the situation is better by April. Also, according to parents, with the next session starting on June 1, there would be negligible loss of school working days for the year.

In the last few days, families across India have been spending more time together due to the lockdown. Citizens have been strongly encouraged to remain extra careful and vigilant about the safety of children in their families and protect them from exposure to this virus. Statistics from Chinese Centre for Disease Control & Prevention show that there were as many 2000 confirmed or suspected cases of Coronavirus among kids. By rescheduling the spring session basis the survey result, the Government can ensure that the risk of COVID-19 is minimised with children and as a result with adults.

LocalCircles will be submitting the findings of this survey with various stakeholders in the Central Government and Chief Secretaries of all states of India requesting them to act.