Covid-19 Sub-Variant BF.7 Detected In India; Will Schools, Colleges Close?

Omicron Variant BF.7 Detected in India: The Central Government and respective state governments will issue an official order regarding the closure of schools and colleges.

School Closing News Updates: Following the detection of the BF.7 variant in India, a new COVID-19 advisory has been issued by the Central Government. Earlier on Wednesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in India and the preparedness of the public health system for its surveillance, containment, and management, in view of the recent spike in cases of Covid-19 in some countries along with MoS Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, NITI Aayog’s Member, Health, Dr V.K. Paul and other senior officials.

Following this meeting, the Health Ministry directed all states and union territories to remain vigilant and directed citizens to wear masks once again. Till now, four cases of the BF.7 variant have been detected in India. Two cases have been reported from Gujarat and two from Odisha. The Union health minister has even asked people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks in crowded places and getting vaccinated.

During the meeting, it was highlighted that Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu are the top five states contributing in terms of new Covid cases even though there is a consistent decline in the overall Covid caseload in the country. These five states accounted for 84 per cent of the daily new cases reported on December 20, 2022.

What is Omicron sub-variant BF.7?

As per the news agency PTI report, BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible, has a shorter incubation period, and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.

Will School, College be Close?

Keeping this in mind, schools and colleges are expected to be more vigilant, and safety protocols will be enforced once again for the safety of students, teachers, and school staff. COVID-19 alerts and notices will also be distributed to schools. Based on previous lockdowns and COVID-19 safety protocols, students, teachers, and all other school personnel should be vaccinated, this time, with all three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. All students and teachers would be required to wear masks at all times and maintain social distancing during school hours.

The Central Government and respective state governments will issue an official order regarding the closure of schools and colleges. Schools and colleges will remain open for the time being unless orders are issued to the contrary.

Due to the ongoing cold wave, schools are currently changing their school timings. Schools in Lucknow, Ayodhya, and Ghaziabad have changed their school hours. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced that all schools in the state will open at 10 am from December 21 till January 21 due to foggy weather. The closing time of the schools will remain the same, he said. “In view of the safety of school students and teachers because of dense fog in the state, the timing of government, aided, recognised and private schools will be 10 am from 21-12-2022 to 21-01-2023,” said Mann in a tweet.

The sudden rise in positive cases in countries such as the US, Japan, Korea, Brazil, and China has caused concern among Indian authorities.