The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced a series of guidelines to reopen physical classes for kindergartens and play homes in Bengaluru from Monday, November 8. These are reopening nearly 20 months after they were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, on Thursday, November 4, the government of Karnataka had given the green light for reopening kindergartens and Anganwadis.
TNM had earlier reported that kindergarten classes will be allowed to function between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm from Monday to Friday, while Anganwadis will remain open from 10 am to 12 noon every day. In the latest circular, however, the BBMP said that as part of the first phase, kindergartens and play homes can only open from 10 am to 12 noon.
In a circular released on Saturday, November 6, the BBMP stated that the following guidelines are mandatory to reopen kindergartens and play homes.
Guidelines
> Only those kindergartens and play homes in those wards with a Test Positivity Rate of less than 2% will be allowed to reopen.
> Kindergartens and play homes should inform the BBMP Zonal Health Officer about reopening.
> Ensure consent letters from the parents of the children who wish to attend classes.
> The staff of the kindergartens and play homes must be vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
> Parents who are willing to send their children to classes should be vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
> Parents should not bring their children to kindergartens and play homes if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, cold, throat ache, body ache, breathing distress, loss of smell and taste) or if they are a primary contact to any person in their family who has tested positive for coronavirus.
> Children should be advised to close their nose and mouth with either a handkerchief or their elbow while sneezing or coughing. They should also be advised not to touch their faces frequently.
> Children should be seated one metre apart. In case the number of kids is more than what is allowed, they have to be asked to come every alternate day or once in three days.
> Parents should be informed about the COVID-19 protocols at the kindergartens and play homes.
> All staff members at the kindergartens and play homes must have a negative RT-PCR test certificate no older than 72 hours on the day of the reopening.
> All staff members must wear masks and regularly use soap or sanitiser to clean their hands.
> Staff members should not come to work if they have any COVID-19 symptoms.
> Ensure adequate ventilation at the kindergartens and play homes
> Clean washrooms, floors, walls, windows, doors etc with soap solution.
> Remove old water from sumps and water filters and clean them.
> Sanitise handrails, toys, furniture, walls, floor and hand wash area with a 1% solution of Sodium Hypochlorite or a 7% solution of a disinfectant available in the market.
The circular further instructed all BBMP Zonal Health officers to inspect all the kindergartens and play homes to ensure that they are properly sanitised.