When should Indian schools physically reopen? The best answer is: not yet
The winding down of the national lockdown in India and the devolution of coronavirus pandemic management to the states will change daily life as we have known it for the past few months. While the reopening of the economy is rightly the subject of public interest, the reopening of schools and educational institutions will require greater attention in the coming weeks. The lockdown was less disruptive than it might otherwise have been because it came at the tail end of the academic year in many states and students spent the better part of the period at home. But now the questions of if, when, and how to reopen schools and colleges can no longer be put on the back burner. How should state governments proceed?
From the public health perspective, there are two principal considerations: protecting children and their families from the disease and preventing transmission through school children.