Create awareness among students, DEOs directed

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 19

The Punjab State Mid-Day meal Society has instructed District Education Officers (DEOs) in the state to make students aware of prevention of transmission of coronavirus. The society has acted on the instructions of the Ministry of Human Resource Development which in a communiqué to all state governments had asked to create awareness on the issue.

The ministry has given details about the disease which state that cases of coronavirus have been reported from China and 24 other countries, including three travel-related cases in India.

“Though much is not known about the disease dynamics, it is evident that there is human-to-human transmission of the disease and hence, preventive measures become crucial to stop it. There is no drug or vaccine available to manage the ailment as of now,” the instructions read.

Also, the ministry has also stated that an information pamphlet in this regard had also been furnished which would come handy to teachers, so that they could sensitise the students.

The pamphlet has also some pictures which tell about how to take precautions.

The mid-day meal society has asked the DEOs to create awareness among students about preventive interventions such as frequent handwash and respiratory etiquettes (using handkerchief over mouth while coughing and sneezing, use of tissue paper or using the sleeve of shirt covering upper arm, staying away from school when sick, avoiding public gathering, etc) that would help in preventing/reducing transmission of not only the disease, but also a large number of other communicable diseases, specially flu-like illnesses.

“Such informed youth can be agents of change for their family, society and beyond,” the circular reads.

Notably, the outbreak of coronavirus and rise in the death toll in China has scared people in neighbouring countries too. Even this has affected businesses too.

Gursharan Singh, president of Federation of Industries and Traders Association, said several industrialists had stopped going to China after the news about the virus spread.

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