Reopen schools or disaster looms, experts tell Indian authorities

FILE PHOTO: Students wearing protective face masks attend their class as they maintain social distancing after authorities reopened schools for classes for 10 and 12 after the schools were closed for months due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ahmedabad, India, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Many top Indian epidemiolgists and social scientists are urging authorities to reopen in-person school classes for all age groups, saying the benefits outweigh the risks especially as poor rural children are missing out on online education.

The recommendation comes as experts say another COVID-19 wave in India this year could be far less deadly https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/india-prepares-worst-ahead-possible-covid-19-third-wave-2021-09-07, because a dramatic rise in cases in April and May means a big majority of the population have been infected already, while more than half of its adults have been at least partly vaccinated.