The Delhi government on Wednesday directed all schools in the national capital to suspend outdoor activities till severe pollution condition persists.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also said the government may consider shutting the schools if the situation worsens.
"Outdoor activities and exposure in polluted atmosphere could have long term detrimental affects on health of children. All heads of government as well as private schools are directed to ensure no outdoor activities are organised in schools till severe pollution condition persists," the Directorate of Education (DoE) said in a letter to schools.
Advising parents to send their children for classes wearing masks and shifting outdoor activities indoors are among the steps taken by schools in Delhi-NCR to deal with pollution as the air quality continues to be in the 'severe' category.
While schools reopened on Wednesday after the Diwali break, a Gurgaon school principal said they had sent an advisory to parents on Monday to not send their children for classes without masks.
"When I woke up on Monday morning, I just knew that this is not going to be normal soon. We sent advisories to parents to mandatorily send their wards with masks," said Nidhi Kapoor, Principal, Euro International School in Gurgaon.
According to a representative at St Mark's Senior Secondary School, Janakpuri, "We have shifted the venue of morning assembly indoors and advised parents to send their wards wearing masks so whenever they are outdoors they have limited exposure to toxic air."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content