With the Covid-19 virus showing no intention of swaying away anytime soon, people’s daily lives have been flung into disarray. In India, the number of coronavirus infected individuals touched 89 on 14th March 2020, prompting various state governments to order a shutdown of malls, schools and other places of public gathering.
Even though these are contingency measures that have been undertaken on a temporary basis, the shutdown is expected to deter people’s daily lives. Working parents, especially those with young school-going children, are expected to bear the brunt of this, with having to manage not just the repercussions from their work closure but also the effect on their children’s education.
With schools shutting down in Delhi, and other states like Karnataka, Uttrakhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, students in these states look towards at least 15 or more days’ break from their daily scheduled classes. While this may potentially be good news for students, it is a cause for concern for parents as it may impact the child’s education to quite an extent.
But what can be done to counter the situation?
Also, how can parents ensure the safety of their children during these trying times?
Before moving on to learn about the solutions to the common problems that might arise in the wake of this Coronavirus outbreak, it is crucial to first have adequate knowledge about the disease and its effects.
Take a look!
What is Coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an umbrella term that is used to denote a group of viruses that cause influenza-like effects on an infected individual. This recent outbreak of the disease, with its epicentre at Wuhan, China has been officially named the Covid-19 or novel coronavirus disease.
The Covid-19 is more alarming than other strains of the disease because of the sheer pace at which it is spreading. The WHO, on 11th March 2020, declared the infection as a pandemic, which has spread to 132 countries worldwide as on 14th March.
The Virus Can be Identified through the Development of the Following Coronavirus Symptoms –
Sore throat
Runny nose
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Pneumonia and acute respiratory trouble in severe cases
But, is it fatal?
Even though the infection has a low mortality rate, the lack of coronavirus medicine has incited panic around the world. The disease, for now, is mostly considered fatal for individuals above the age of 60 years, or those with an underlying pre-existing condition like diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, etc.
Now that we have covered these important facts about the infection and its symptoms, let us take a look at a few important tips that every parent should know about how to manage the situation effectively.
Tip 1 – Adopt the WHO Prescribed Safety Measures
Since there are no available vaccines for the coronavirus infection, it is of utmost importance for parents to oversee that their kids are adopting the prescribed preventive measures to counter the disease.
Few of the WHO prescribed preventive measures include –
Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer regularly or cleaning hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Avoid touching nose, mouth and eyes with unwashed hands.
Avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick.
Distancing yourself from others if there is an outbreak of the disease in your area.
Parents must ensure that they are undertaking these measures to minimise the risk of the disease spreading.
Tip 2 – Adopt the Following Measures if You are Sick
If you or your children are feeling under the weather, it is your responsibility to ensure that you undertake steps to protect others. For instance,
If you feel sick, or if you find that your kid is falling ill, you must stay at home until you feel better.
Make sure you cover your nose and mouth with a tissue while coughing or sneezing, or use the inside of your elbow. Dispose of the tissue immediately afterwards in a closed bin.
If you are sick, use a disposable face mask or N95 respirator to stop spreading the virus.
Tip 3 – Clean and Disinfect Your House
It is crucial to ensure that all the surfaces that you touch frequently are cleaned and disinfected thoroughly. For example, areas like the kitchen counter, doorknobs, toilets, handles, faucets and sinks are touched frequently and pose a higher risk of getting contaminated, thus increasing the risk of spreading infection.
Tip 4 – Take Measures to Ensure that Your Child’s Education Remains Unperturbed
With schools remaining shut for an indefinite period of time, it is quite possible that a child’s progress in his/her education might get interrupted. To counter this, Vedantu is providing free online classes for students from class 1 to class 12 for subjects like Maths, Social Studies, Physics, Chemistry, etc. Furthermore, students can also enrol for JEE and NEET preparations.
With Vedantu’s interactive classes, students can stay abreast of the lessons they are missing due to coronavirus disease. This will not only aid them in their exam preparations but also ensure that they remain engaged while they are cooped up at home.
Parents are thus advised to enrol their child for these live classes and help them continue their studies uninterrupted.
Tip 5 – Remain Updated
One of the most important tips for parents will be to follow the latest coronavirus updates. Being aware of what is going on worldwide and staying up to date allows one to remain in control. It is also advisable for parents to stray away from any unscrupulous source of information regarding the disease and its effects. This will prevent anyone from acting unreasonably, prompted by moments of panic.
With these tips, parents can create a safe and secure atmosphere for their children until the worst of the disease has passed. Apart from the online classes, parents should also take special care to ensure that their child is engaged in other activities that will provide them with the semblance of normalcy that is required during such times.
Let Your Child’s Academic Progress Remain Unhindered with Vedantu
Vedantu’s Masters Class series, available free of cost at the wake of the coronavirus news, is one of the best ways through which students can ensure that they do not miss out on their lessons while their school is out. With this series, students can –
Access live interactive classes.
Learn from the teachers, who are the best in their respective fields.
Gain access to quality education from the comfort of their homes.
Apart from the free online classes, Vedantu also provides students with access to study material, doubt solving sessions, tests, notes and class recordings. So, even with coronavirus disrupting everyone’s normal routine, Vedantu’s efforts will surely help students continue with their progress without interruption. Also, a student can download NCERT Solutions for Class 1 to 12 on Vedantu site.
So, register your children with Vedantu today and help them carry on with their normal routine amidst these uncertain times.
