Karnataka schools on alert amid COVID-19 JN-1 variant concerns; advisory issued

Karnataka schools on alert amid COVID-19 JN-1 variant concerns; advisory issued

mangaloretoday.com/news18

Bengaluru, Dec 20, 2023: In light of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka (KAMS) has issued an advisory for schools to take note of. Schools around the state have been placed on high alert because of concerns about the new JN-1 variant of COVID-19. As a result, several schools have had to change their school trip arrangements. Some schools have already started taking temperature readings of the students as a precautionary effort.

 

The association has encouraged schools to enforce strong policies preventing ill students from being allowed on campus. According to a Times of India report, the guideline recommends regular temperature checks, sanitising school grounds on a regular basis, and mandating masks for students with poor immunity or those with medical conditions.

If a child feels unwell while at school, he or she must be sent to an isolation room, and given first aid, and the parents would be notified.

KAMS secretary D Shashi Kumar has also encouraged schools to be extra cautious on school trips. They are instructed to make sure they have a portable oxygen pack and other emergency medical supplies on them. The association has cautioned educational institutions to be wary of fake communications while urging them not to panic.

The advisory was given to all member schools of KAMS, encouraging them to be cautious on their visits and to follow the government’s standard operating procedure. It has also encouraged schools to carry portable oxygen cylinders on hand in case they are required during the travels. Since the winter vacations are currently going on and students could be travelling, the association has encouraged schools to send cautions to parents, advising them to avoid busy tourist areas, pilgrimage sites, and so on. “Soon after vacation, take extra measures for those students having travel history to different state/country,” the official communication to the schools read.