Back to school for 500,000
By Hana Naz Harun - June 24, 2020 @ 8:30am
KUALA LUMPUR: Three months after being forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools will reopen today to Form Five and Six students and those who will sit the Vocational Certificate and Malaysian Higher Islamic Religious Certificate (STAM) examinations.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said it was vital for parents to ensure that their children adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid out by the government.
"This includes good personal hygiene and practising safe social distancing at all times within or outside their schools.
"The cooperation of parents, students and school staff is crucial in ensuring there is no Covid-19 transmission in schools," he said yesterday.
He said 19.9 per cent (1,712 cases) of Covid-19 cases in the country involved those aged under 18.
Of the total, he said, 346 patients were aged 16 to 18.
"None from this age group have died and none were warded in the Intensive Care Unit, proving that Covid-19 cases in this age group have a good recovery rate."
The SOPs include temperature checks at school entrances for all students, staff and visitors.
Those who record a temperature higher than 37.5°C or had Covid-19 symptoms would not be allowed to enter the school.
Dr Noor Hisham said social distancing rules also applied in classes and tables should be arranged 1m apart with a maximum of 20 students in a classroom, while outside the classroom, the maximum capacity depended on the size of the area.
There will be staggered dispersal of students for recess and students will be required to line up according to labels on the floor to ensure social distancing, he said.
"Any activity outside the classroom, such as sports, other face-to-face co-curricular activities and school assemblies, cannot be implemented yet.
"Students are reminded to always maintain cleanliness, especially frequently washing their hands while in school."
Some 500,000 students will be returning to 2,440 schools nationwide today.
