Highlights
- More than 162,000 cases have so far been confirmed across the world.
- Of these, approximately 75,000 have recovered and more than 6,000 have died.
- Australia has over 249 cases and five people have died.
Melbourne-based Neha Thakur Luthra has stopped sending her two kids to school as a precautionary measure.
Ms Thakur Luthra’s kids attend a local primary school which has not yet reported a single positive case of COVID-19 pandemic.
But this mother-of-two does not want to wait till someone at school tests positive.
“Keeping in mind how contagious coronavirus is, I can't take this chance with my kids or someone else's kids,” says Ms Thakur-Luthra.
She says she is taking preventive measures to safeguard her kids.
“I am aware the symptoms take time to show. Right now, I am not sure who is affected and who isn't. My simple reason is, if someone is affected in school, I am saving my kids from that and if my kids are affected, I am saving other kids,” she adds.
Ms Thakur-Luthra has currently requested her workplace to allow her to work from home to care for her kids.
“I am lucky my workplace has permitted work-from-home for me. I have planned all activities and timetable for them in a way I don't have to take them out and expose them to others or to this virus,” she says.
She is however baffled at the government’s decision to keep schools open.
“The government has banned gatherings of more than 500 people. But in schools there are more than 500 students, why don't they close it?” she questions.
Listen to the podcast:
LISTEN TO
‘I don’t want to take a chance’: Parents stop sending kids to school as COVID-19 cases rise
SBS Hindi
16/03/202003:41
Ms Thakur-Luthra is just one of the many parents who have decided to not send their kids to childcare, kinder or school.
Melbourne-based Meghna Thakkar-Joshi says it is better to be safe than sorry.
“I and my husband are of the opinion that it is better to be safe than sorry later. Although they say kids are not the ones that are attacked by COVID-19, they can definitely be carriers of the virus,” she told SBS Hindi.
“The kids in school encounter others outside, teachers are in contact with other people outside and there are a lot of parents coming to school. It might also not always be possible to tell kids to keep the distance.
“Plus the flu season is going on as well. My daughter got flu last week and although she was not that bad the thought of coronavirus scares us,” she says.
Ms Thakkar-Joshi too has opted to work from home to care for her kids.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it is not necessary to close schools at this stage. Source: AAP
Why is the government not shutting down childcare, schools and universities?
While a few Australian schools have shut down, a vast majority of childcare, schools and universities remain open.
Australia's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy on Sunday the idea of closing schools was still being actively considered.
"There is no question we have a range of social distancing measures that we will not hesitate to recommend to government, but they've got to be proportional and they might last for a long time," he said when asked about school closures on ABC's Insiders program on Sunday morning.
"So you don't want to move too early."
But he insisted that "everything is up for consideration".
Health Minister Greg Hunt said there was a risk "of children being with grandparents, of taking parents out of the workforce who might be in the health and medical sector, disrupting supply chains - so maintaining the structure of society."
On Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the broad closure of schools "could make the situation worse, not better".
"When you take children out of schools and put them in the broader community, the ability for them to potentially engage with others increases that risk," he told reporters.
Carey Baptist Grammar has been shut down after an adult member of the school tested positive for COVID-19. Source: AAP Image/David Crosling
People who believe they may have contracted the virus are advised to call their doctor before visiting or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
ALSO ON SBS HINDI:
Many forced to cancel their trips to India
