BMC eyes city schools next for quarantine facilities

Other arrangements such as bedding, food, will be provided by the ward office. File pic/Ashish Raje

The BMC will soon utilise government schools to make quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients. The BMC has told schools to fix leaks, fans, toilets and other issues in the buildings. The schools will also have to depute a staffer on 8-hour duty for supervision. BMC may utilise private primary schools as well.

With the increasing number of patients and considering the dense population of the city - especially in slums, the BMC has decided to open quarantine facilities in schools and a circular was issued by the BMC's education department in this regard on Thursday.

The circular specifies all tasks to be taken care of by the school heads and other staff, starting from making the list of school buildings available in each ward.

The department will have to prepare a consolidated list which will not only give the number of buildings but will also clarify if the buildings are civic body owned properties or rented and if there is any building under maintenance.

The civic body has already converted the NSCI dome into a quarantine facility. File Pic/Ashish Raje

When contacted BMC education officer Mahesh Palkar said, "All this is a preparation work to make arrangement for future. Schools have been asked to be ready as soon as possible so that when there is a need to shift patients to schools, the building should be ready."

"For now, the focus is on BMC run schools, but if required private aided and unaided schools will also be used for the same purpose. If in any ward, BMC school is full, private aided schools will first be looked at and then even unaided. While infrastructure will be provided by schools, other arrangements such as bedding and food will be taken care of by the local ward office."

Uday Nare, a teacher from Hansraj Morarji School, said, "Considering the crisis condition in the country, teachers are more than willing to contribute in the work. But all should be given proper training to successfully handle the affected patients."

Jalinder Sarode, General Secretary of Shikshak Bharati, said, "Many teachers have already left for their hometowns. It is important that the government makes arrangements for them to return to Mumbai."

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