The Health Minister Dechen Wangmo, during a press brief this afternoon said reopening schools in the next few weeks is not advisable.
“I would not recommend the reopening of schools in a few weeks time. I, as a Health Minister, I am not comfortable with the decision. The lockdown in India is not complete and we need to understand the situation once the lockdown in India is over. We must feel the pulse of the epidemic and then plan on reopening of schools,” said Dechen Wangmo, the Health Minister.
However, Lyonpo added the Health Ministry has completed the risk assessment exercise and came up with risk modification strategies if schools are to be re-opened.
“If schools are to be reopened soon, we have provided the Education Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office with the prerequisites to reopen the schools. The Health Ministry has made a list of various facilities required for a school to be reopened and if a school does not have the facilities, the school won’t be allowed to open,” Lyonpo added.
Likewise, the Parliamentary Committee on COVID-19 Preparedness and Response also feels the same. The Chairperson of the Committee, Member of Parliament Dorji Wangdi informed BBS that the committee had discussed the issue earlier today and generally agreed that it is not advisable to re-open the schools immediately.
Passang Dorji
