Preventive Measures to Avoid the Transmission of COVID-19 in Teaching Institutions

Introduction

Protecting children and educational facilities from COVID-19 is essential. Precautions are required to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 in school environments; still, care must be taken to avoid disgracing students and staff who the virus may have endangered.

The general preventive measures for COVID-19 involve simple public health measures to decrease the risk of acquiring COVID-19. These measures must be followed by all faculty, students, employees, and visitors in skill or entrepreneurship training organizations, higher educational institutions conducting doctoral courses, and post-graduate studies in technical and professional programs requiring laboratory or experimental work. Preventive measures such as good hygiene practices, handwashing, cough etiquette, disinfection of surfaces, and social distancing, are significant weapons against COVID-19. Importantly, those eligible to be vaccinated should get the shot before entering educational institutions to avoid the unwanted spread of infection.

What Is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a modified strain of coronavirus that has not been identified earlier in humans. COVID-19 is the cause of a respiratory illness disorder that was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

What Are the Symptoms of COVID-19?

The symptoms may include

• Nose stuffiness.

• Runny nose.

• Congestion.

• Mild headache.

• Fever.

• Sore throat.

• Cough.

• Sneezing.

• Malaise.

• Loss of taste and smell sensation.

• Skin rashes.

• Discoloration of fingers and toes.

• Irritation and redness in the eyes.

Serious symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Pain in the chest.

• Shortness of breath.

• Confusion.

• Loss of speech or mobility.

How to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission?

• Getting the vaccination according to the local guidelines is an important step to prevent COVID-19. Herd immunity can be developed in the population through vaccination or previous infection, which helps break the transmission chain.

• Regular hand washing is one of the principal ways to help stop coronavirus transmission.

• If a person cannot use soap and water, they can use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 % alcohol.

• People should not rub their eyes, nose, and mouth with their hands, especially if dirty, leading to transferring the virus to the eyes, nose, or mouth and entering the body.

• Older individuals or people with severe illnesses like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes should be avoiding infected people following social distancing.

• People with a fever, cough, or breathing difficulty in an area with a COVID-19 disorder should seek medical advice.

• Every individual needs to have a minimum distance of 6 feet in public places as far as possible.

• People must wear face covers or masks at all times in public places by properly covering the nose and the mouth. They should not touch the front portion of the mask or face cover.

• People should follow strict respiratory behavior like closing one's mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing with a tissue, handkerchief, or flexed elbow and properly disposing of the used items.

• Spitting in public should be strictly prohibited.

How to Implement Protective Measures in Educational Institutions?

1. Staff and students attending educational institutions should ensure they are fully vaccinated. Vaccination certificates should be made mandatory for all those entering the institution.

2. Management should make it essential for students and staff to get tested for COVID-19 72 hours before entering the institution.

3. Institutions conducting skill or entrepreneurship training institutions, higher educational institutions teaching doctoral courses, and post-graduate studies should only be allowed to open outside the restriction zones. Further, students and staff living in restriction zones should not be permitted to visit the I institution. Staff and students should also be instructed not to go to areas falling under containment zones.

4. Any students, parents, young people, carers, or visitors should not enter the childcare or education institution if they have symptoms of COVID-19.

5. Before resumption of activities, all work areas intended for the conduct of skill or entrepreneurship training, doctoral courses, and post-graduate studies, including hostels, other common utility areas, and laboratories, should be sanitized with 1 % Sodium Hypochlorite solution, with special attention to constantly touched surfaces.

6. Wherever skill-based training on equipment is predicted to be utilized, place the equipment 6 feet apart, wherever possible, to promote physical distancing. Similarly, use any outdoor space by relocating equipment outside, like in the verandah, courtyard, shed, etc.

7. Instead of biometric attendance, alternate arrangements for contactless attendance may be made.

8. To secure queue management, make specific markings on the floor with a gap of 6 feet.

9. The institute should display state helpline numbers and numbers of local health authorities etc., to faculty, trainees, or staff to contact in case of any emergency.

10. All air conditioning agents' temperature settings should be between 24-30 Celsius.

11. Lockers of students will be in use as long as physical distancing and general disinfection are maintained.

12. Prominent display of the signages, banners, and standees must inform the staff and students of the dos and don'ts.

What Are the Materials to Be Made Available in Educational Institutions?

1. Appropriate backup stock of personal protection objects like face covers or masks, visors, hand sanitizers, etc., shall be ready by management to the teachers, students, and staff.

2. Provide a sufficient supply of thermal guns, alcohol wipes or 1 % sodium hypochlorite solutions, disposable paper towels, soap, and IEC materials.

3. A pulse oximeter to check the oxygen saturation levels of any symptomatic person must be arranged.

4. Ensure the availability of adequately covered dustbins and trash cans.

5. Provision for proper disposal of used personal protection items and general waste.

6. Housekeeping staff to be informed and trained about waste management and disposal norms.

What are the Preventive Methods to Be Followed in Schools?

At the Entry Point:

1. Entrance to have necessary hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and thermal screening equipment. Multiple gates or separate gates, if feasible, should be used for entry and exit while maintaining physical distancing norms.

2. Only asymptomatic persons (faculty, employees, students, and visitors) are allowed on the premises. If a faculty, employee, student, or visitor is symptomatic, they should be referred to the nearest health center.

3. Posters or standees on preventive measures about COVID-19 should be displayed prominently.

4. Proper crowd management in the corridors, parking lots, and lifts duly allowed by the administration or any out-sourced agencies shall regulate physical distancing measures.

5. Entry of visitors should be strictly controlled or restricted.

In the Classroom and Laboratories:

1. Seating arrangement in the classroom to be ensured with 6 feet distance between chairs, desks, etc.

2. Wavering of classroom exercises, with separate timing slots, allows for adequate physical distancing and classroom disinfection.

3. Academic scheduling should have an inter-mix of general classroom teaching and online teaching or evaluations. The teaching faculty will ensure that they and the students wear masks during teaching hours.

4. Sharing items like laptops, stationery, notebooks, etc., amongst students should be prevented as much as possible.

5. Ensure that the equipment has been sanitized, particularly the constantly touched surfaces, before each use.

6. Ensure that members sanitize their hands before and after using training tools. For such a purpose, hand sanitizer should be provided at workstations or simulation labs.

For Students Coming From Different Places:

1. Students who are not residents of the city or town, do not have any assistance at home, or do not have a facility for online education may be prioritized for the allotment of hostel rooms.

2. Asymptomatic people having contact with or those who traveled from an infected area must be adequately screened.

3. Students from various locations may bring negative RT-PCR reports, as per State protocols, and self-monitor their health for 14 days.

4. Screening of every person staying in the hostel needs to be done before they start staying at the hostel. Only asymptomatic people should be allowed to join.

5. Proper crowd management in the hostel and outside premises, like parking lots, duly following physical distancing measures, shall be ensured.

6. In shared rooms or hostels, the beds should be placed at a distance of 6 feet from each other.

7. Temporary partitions may be considered, if possible.

8. Any symptomatic student should be quickly given a single room and implemented with necessary medical care.

Hygiene and Sanitation of the Institution:

1. Floors to be cleaned every day with a disinfectant.

2. The provision of soap in toilets and hand sanitizers in other common areas should be in sufficient quantities.

3. Cleaning and regular disinfection using 1 % Sodium Hypochlorite to be done on infrequently touched surfaces like doorknobs, handrails, chairs, elevator buttons, benches, washroom fixtures, etc., to be made mandatory in classrooms, lockers, laboratories, parking areas, and other common areas, before the beginning of classes and at the end of the day.

4. Teaching materials like computers, laptops, and printers shall be regularly disinfected with a 70 % alcohol wipe.

5. Ensure deep cleaning of all drinking and handwashing stations, washrooms, and lavatories.

6. Should ensure disposal of used face covers or masks in separate covered bins.

7. Residential buildings, if any, must be sanitized regularly.

Therefore, following the norms below will help students and staff stay safe even in educational and teaching institutions:

1. Encourage the students and parents to get the vaccine shots to prevent unnecessary infection with COVID-19.

2. Promoting behaviors that decrease the spread of COVID-19.

3. Sustaining healthy environments.

4. Maintaining healthy operations.

5. Preparing for when someone gets sick.

How to Handle the Mental Health of the Students in The Pandemic Situation?

Apart from maintaining overall health and following preventive measures, the students must be monitored for psychological factors and mental health through the following measures.

• The Ministry of Education website has a webpage called Manodarpan, which provides mental support to people during the COVID-19 outbreak. It has a toll-free helpline option, and other accessible audio-visual aids on do’s and don'ts for maintaining mental and emotional health during this panic situation. This helpline can help students from getting tele-counseling to deal with their issues.

• Recruit personal counselors in the teaching institutions to monitor and support the students when required.

• Monitor and communicate with the students through meetings on social media platforms and advise them to remain stress-free and calm.

• Begin a COVID-19 help group on social media with the students, hostel warden, and teachers to inform them if any student is in need of help.

• Share tips or measures posted on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website to alert them.

Conclusion:

Besides the advantages that online classes have offered during the pandemic, it also has a few drawbacks. Only with proper preventive measures running educational institutions is feasible. Following prophylactic steps helps stop the transmission of COVID-19, thereby paving the way for a return to normality.