Bengal bars teachers, staffers with cough, cold, fever from attending schools unless they have COVID negative test

With daily COVID-19 cases doubling within one day, the West Bengal School Education Department has asked teachers and non-teaching staffers to not attend schools in case they show COVID-like symptoms such as cough, cold or fever and has directed them to report for duty only after testing negative for COVID.

"Primary, secondary and higher secondary schools have been asked to ensure that teachers and non-teaching employees don't come to the institutions if they have a cold, cough or fever. They must get tested for COVID-19 and will be allowed to enter schools only if the results return negative. They will have to produce the reports to the health department," an official told PTI on December 31. 

The state registered more than 1,000 fresh cases on December 29 after a gap of nearly six months. The daily count crossed 2,000 the following day. While in-person classes for grades IX to XII resumed on November 16, the state government has been mulling to restart lower classes in a phased manner from next year, state Education Minister Bratya Basu had earlier said.

READ ALSO : Pune: 13 students of engineering college test COVID-positive, institute goes back to online classes

However, with the fresh spike in cases, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the government will review the situation and take steps keeping in mind the safety of the students.