Mumbai, March 12: Most schools in the city have started following the UNICEF Advisory on COVID-19 care in schools. The advisory includes social distancing and exploring the use of online education in case of a shutdown. According to a Times of India report, UNICEF has mentioned that schools should cancel morning assemblies, sports events and any other activities that involve mass gathering.

UNICEF has highlighted that precautions are necessary to avoid the spread of the virus, but one needs to avoid stigmatizing staff and students who may have been exposed to the virus. The body has also discouraged perfect attendance awards and incentives during this time. Coronavirus Outbreak: 3 Fresh Positive Corona Cases in Pune, Two in Mumbai and One in Nagpur, Total Confirmed Cases Reach 11 in Maharashtra.

As Mumbai saw two confirmed cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced that "Board exams are on so the schools are functional at the moment, but, if there’s a need the State will issue Holiday."  The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the outbreak a pandemic, saying cases outside China have risen 13-fold over the last two weeks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2020 10:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).