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Schools in Singapore reopened on Sep. 13, 2021 after the customary one-week September holidays.
In a Facebook post on Sep. 12, education minister Chan Chun Sing said efforts must be stepped up to keep students, teachers, and staff in schools safe amid the recent rise in Covid-19 community cases.
Chan explained that to do so, the Ministry of Education will adopt a four-pronged approach.
1. Enhanced testing
In the first week of the new term, all primary school students will be issued with three Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits.
This was announced by the Ministry of Health earlier in August.
Chan said in his post:
"We encourage all families to familiarise themselves with the use by helping our students do a self-test at home this week. This will also serve as a one-time sweep to assure one another that our children are safe."
Chan added that in the future, additional self-tests may be requested to reduce the risks of transmission in schools.
"That’s the use of the other two ART kits for future contingencies, which we will replenish as necessary," he explained.
2. Student should not be sent to school if they are sick
Parents are urged not to send their child to school if the child is unwell, or if a family member is undergoing quarantine or isolation.
"We thank everyone for your cooperation," said Chan.
3. Maintain safe management measures
Schools will continue to maintain safe management measures, mask-wearing, and observe good personal hygiene.
This has helped to minimise the risks of transmission within schools, Chan explained.
Co-curricular activities (CCAs) for primary schools will remain suspended.
4. Isolate and ring fence known cases
The fourth approach would be to rapidly isolate and ring fence known cases and their close contacts.
According to Chan, this will help to minimise transmission risks and disruption to the rest of the students, staff, and families.
It will also allow the students to continue learning safely.
Chan added in his Facebook post:
"While the children who have contracted Covid-19 thus far have relatively mild symptoms, we must remain vigilant. We also urge everyone to encourage family and friends to be vaccinated to minimise the risks to our children who cannot be vaccinated yet. It will take the collective efforts of our community to keep our children safe."
You can view his full post here:
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Top image from Chan Chun Sing/FB.
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