STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES ALONG WITH IEC/BCC PROTOCOL’S WHILE FERRYING SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN USING SCHOOL BUSES / AUTO RICKSHAWS

School management shall encourage students to walk or bike to school or catch rides

with their parents/ guardians. In cases where students are being ferrying using school

buses following guidelines shall be followed

School bus maintenance:

1. School buses shall be disinfected 1 hour before embarking in the morning and

after disembarking in the afternoon. Regular disinfection of equipment such as

turnstiles ,handrails, steering wheel dashboard ,arm rests ,head restraints etc,. with

1% sodium hypo chlorite solution / disinfectants shall be done.

2. The school bus shall be equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, as

they could potentially help reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.

3. Markings shall be affixed / painted on seats to show students where to sit ensuring

one student only shall occupy in each row of seats. While seating their shall be a

seat gap between two students at any period of time during the entire journey.

4. Plexiglass barriers shall be installed around drivers seat separating driver from

students.

5. Windows shall be kept open and air conditioning shall not be used in order to

maximise the ventilation.

6. Assign attendant to enforce social distancing in the bus during ride and to Keep

students logs to enable contact tracing if someone test positive for COVID 19

7. It is advisable to assign single driver to same bus and same routes to minimise

groups of people mingling. Route map shall be displayed in the bus.

8. Posters of COVID appropriate behaviour shall be affixed inside the vehicle and out

side the vehicle at conspicuous places.

Measures to be taken while transportation of students in school buses :

1. Parents and carers must be advised that students must not board school buses if they,

or a member of their household, has symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19).

2. All students must wear masks and face Shields.

3. Screening shall be done before boarding the bus by way of thermal screening or

asking symptom based questionnaire.

4. Students shall board the vehicles only after hand sanitisation.

5. Appropriate queuing or other arrangements shall be followed while picking up and

dropping off students to ensure they are able maintain distancing when waiting for,

boarding and alighting from school bus.only one person at a time shall be allowed to

enter the bus in a queue duly maintaining 6 feet distance between successive

students.

6. “First in, last out” principle shall be followed with those children getting on first

seated at the rear of the bus so that the bus is filled from the back to the front in