The Delhi government's Directorate of Education issued an advisory to all private schools in the city on Wednesday, 13 April, amid rising cases of COVID-19.
"It has come to the knowledge of the department through print media and other sources that COVID infection is spreading again in NCR and positivity rate has increased in (the) last few days," it stated.
The advisory asked school authorities to take precautions against the disease and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) in this regard.
The government urged authorities to ensure the wearing of masks by teachers and students on the school premises, maintenance of social distancing, regular washing of hands, and the creation of awareness about preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The advisory also stated that if cases of the disease were reported in any school, the authorities must close down the concerned wing or the entire school for a temporary period, depending on the rate of spread.
"If any COVID case is noticed or reported to the school authority the same must be intimated to the Directorate of Education immediately and the concerned wing of the school or the school as a whole as the case may be, must be closed down for time being," the advisory noted.
Delhi COVID Cases See Uptick
Meanwhile, New Delhi reported 325 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours on Thursday, 14 April, up from 299 on Wednesday. The cases on Wednesday saw a nearly 50 percent rise compared to the previous day, when the capital registered 202 cases.
However, since the tests conducted increased by around 1,500 on Thursday, the positivity rate saw a slight decrease to 2.39 percent.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will conduct a meeting on 20 April to discuss the rise in COVID-19 cases and to deliberate on measures to check the spread of the disease, news agency PTI reported.
Meanwhile, a private school in Delhi asked students to go home on 14 April after a student and a teacher of the school tested positive for COVID-19.
Also, a school in Noida shut offline classes on Monday after 16 students tested positive for COVID-19 in the past few days. Apart from this, three teachers of the school have also tested positive for the disease so far.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)