The challenge for schools and organisations for children with special needs is maintaining the Covid-19 safety protocols like distancing, wearing masks and following the basic hygiene, the heads of several schools said.

At least two organisations said that since many of the individuals belonged to a “high support” group, it was difficult to maintain distance even if they dealt with small groups of eight to 10.

For children with special needs, there is a greater tendency to touch or have body contact or at times even put things in the mouth.

For some travelling in public transport is a challenge because it might put them more at risk, another teacher said. Many find it difficult to wear masks for long durations and they tend to take off the mask every now and then.

“Many of our children do not want to wear a mask and those who are in the high support group do not have the sense of maintaining distance,” said Anamika Sinha, the director of Manovikas Kendra.

Sinha said for individuals whose cognitive functioning is low, it is difficult to understand the consequences of not following norms.

“It will be difficult for people with developmental challenges to maintain distance. Though there will be some who will be washing hands, the true understanding of hygiene is difficult for many of them,” said Indrani Basu, founder, Autism Society West Bengal.

Institutions are worried over reopening amid a fresh rise in Covid cases in Bengal.

“It will be difficult for special schools to open totally under these conditions,” said Basu.

A section of parents is still scared to send their children to schools because of the pandemic. But others, including single parents and those who have to go out to work and have no support at home, want the centres to reopen.

A single parent, the mother of a 14-year-old boy with autism, had to “drag the child” with her everywhere after the grandmother passed away because there was no place to keep him.

Some of the centres are awaiting a nod from the department of women and child development and social welfare to reopen.

“During online classes, we are constantly telling the children about the safety protocols and the importance of wearing masks. But it is not easy for them to follow it. We will have to use strategies for making them wear it and for effective imple-mentation when we reopen,” said Sonali Nandi, the chief operating officer and director of technical services, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy.

Nandi said they were preparing the SOPs that have to be followed once children are back on campus.

The class size in many of these centres are small but it will have to be further split to ensure distancing.

“If we had 15 children initially, we would have to break the class further and have six or seven,” said Nandi.

In some schools wearing masks has been made part of the daily activities and they are being trained to wear masks for some time and then keep them aside for a while.