Students across several schools are remaining absent or being sent back home because of fever, throat infection and headache, said school heads.
Seven to 30 students have remained absent daily over the past two weeks at a number of schools.
Teachers, too, are falling sick and unable to take classes.
“Every day we are sending about four or five children home. They complain of feeling unwell and usually run a temperature. So we call their parents and ask them to take the kids back home,” said Amita Prasad, director, Indus Valley World School.
The onset of fever happens after the first or second period, said Nupur Ghosh, vice-principal, Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
It is not usual to send children back home after they come to school, she said. “We are sending repeated messages... that students should not be sent to school if they are feeling unwell. The children who are unwell need to rest. If they come to school, they can infect other children,” Ghosh said.
At Sushila Birla Girls’ School and Julien Day School, Kalyani, too, students have been remaining absent because of viral infections.
At The Heritage School, parents have requested the institute for a retest for the students who were down with viral infections during the first-term exams.
“We give them certain allowances — they can... leave in personal transport and need not take the school bus with other children,” said Seema Sapru, principal of the school.
School heads said teachers, too, are being affected by the ongoing surge in viral infections. “If a number of teachers remain absent in a day, it becomes difficult to keep children meaningfully engaged. We then have to give them an extra game slot or send them to the library,” said Prasad
At some schools, teachers are remaining absent for three to five days.
“If a teacher remains absent for a week, she tries to make up for the loss after resuming duty. But it is difficult to find that many periods,” said a principal.
School heads said that those who are coming back to school after recovery are often complaining of exhaustion.