Từ Đức Primary School in Thủ Đức city was used as a quarantine facility at the peak of the fourth COVID wave since April. Source https://baotintuc.vn/

HCM CITY— Many schools in HCM City that were used as COVID-19 treatment and quarantine facilities are now being disinfected and cleaned in preparation for resumption of classes.

Phạm Đăng Khoa, head of the District 3 education and training division, told Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper that in his district Colette Secondary School and Nguyễn Thị Diệu High School had been used as COVID facilities but no longer, and health workers have disinfected them.

School staff are now cleaning and rearranging furniture and teaching equipment, according to Khoa.

Trần Khắc Huy, his Tân Bình District counterpart, said two schools, Hoàng Hoa Thám Secondary School and Lê Thị Hồng Gấm Primary School would be used for quarantine until month end, but others were being cleaned and repaired to be ready for opening when allowed.

In Bình Tân District, 66 schools were used for COVID, and 57 still are.

Because of the large number of patients in the district, the latter will be used until October 25.

The Department of Health plans to stop using all schools by October 25.

Other districts such as District 8 and 12 are also preparing to reopen.  

From now until early January when students will return to school, education divisions across the city will work with health officials to speed up vaccination for students aged 12 to 17.

Many people in the city are keen to have their children vaccinated before schools resume.

The Ministry of Health has instructed health departments and epidemiology institutes across the country like Pasteur to start immunising children as soon as possible.

When children return to school, they will also be required to comply with the ministry’s 5k requirements - khẩu trang (face masks), khử khuẩn (disinfection), khoảng cách (distancing), không tụ tập (no gatherings), and khai báo y tế (health declarations).

Dương Trí Dũng, deputy head of the city Department of Education and Training, said the Cần Giờ District People’s Committee wanted students in grades 1, 2, 6, 9, and 12 at the Thạnh An Primary School and Thạnh An Secondary and High School to return to classes on October 20.  

If things prove safe, the People’s Committee would allow other students too to return to school.

It asked parents if they agreed to send their children to the two schools, and more than 90 per cent concurred.

The kids of the remaining 10 per cent will continue to study online.   

The department had wanted the trial to begin on October 11, but the Department of Health required the district to fully comply with COVID prevention protocols first, and so the start was slightly delayed. — VNS