Establish a safe environment by shifting to contactless solutions at schools and colleges

With schools and universities being forced to shift to online-only courses since mid-March of this year, they are severely affected by a myriad of issues, but especially in the paradigm of finances. Schools and universities are a heavily crowded place that can be a hot-bed for the virus to spread like a wildfire. California State recently announced that they are canceling all classes even for the fall term. Soon, other states will also follow suit since reopening carries the public health risk of viral resurgence. So, when schools and colleges do reopen, how can they establish a safe environment for both students and staff? By switching to contactless solutions. Contactless solutions at schools and universities help in avoiding students and staff coming in contact with one another while also promoting an elevated safe environment for everyone in the premises. Contactless solutions can be used for the following use-cases - 1. Contactless ID rnID cards are the most touched items in a student's wallet. Depending on the school, it can be used to enter buildings, dining areas, and classes. Switch to QR Codes and/or NFC tags to limit the number of times a student swipes their card, while also improving the security system. 2. Contact tracing rnFrom libraries to classes to dining halls, a number of students and staff come in contact with openings all over the campus multiple times a day. Make use of QR Code contactless visitor forms outside department buildings to learn any persisting symptoms of students and staff, and their travel history to curb the spread of infection, in case of a suspected infection. 3. Contactless assistance for directions rnWith limited staff present on-premises, making use of beacons and geofence to minimize human contact to assist students round-the-clock efficiently. 4. Distance learning rnPost-COVID, online education will be considered as core to every school’s plan for institutional resilience and academic achievement. Universities and schools have quickly shifted to video conferencing apps such as Zoom, WebEx, and Blackboard to keep the momentum going and not comprising of students' progress. With the lockdown in place at least for the next couple of months, video conferencing apps will be the go-to technology for everyone.