Students at Trưng Vương High School in HCM City's District 1 queue for temperature checks before entering class. —VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Giang

HCM CITY — HCM City’s People’s Committee has approved a plan to allow an additional 680,000 students in secondary and high school grades to return to school on January 4.

Students in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11 will resume in-person classes next week, after the New Year holiday.

On December 13, around 150,000 students in grades 9 and 12 in the city returned to school after nearly eight months at home due to the pandemic.

Under the new plan, only 6th graders will not be allowed to return to school.

Thạnh An island commune in Cần Giờ District will allow all students from grades 1 to 12 to go back to school on January 4.

The decision was made after the city’s Department of Education and Training proposed to let more than 680,000 students return to classes after the New Year holiday. Students in these grades have been fully vaccinated and safety plans have been prepared.

Students will be reviewing lessons and completing mid-term exams from January 4 to January 22.

Other educational facilities, such as foreign language, informatics and life skills centres, will be allowed to resume in-person classes if their COVID-19 prevention and control plans have been approved by district-level authorities.

The city’s People's Committee has assigned the Department of Education and Training to coordinate with the Department of Health to review and adjust the safety criteria for educational facilities if needed. It is expected that the resumption of in-person classes for primary and pre-school students after the Lunar New Year.

The Department of Health will be in charge of directing the medical centre of Thủ Đức City and district-level authorities to ensure the safety of teachers and students at schools.

Two weeks after the pilot plan to welcome back 150,000 students in grades 9 and 12 to school, 47 COVID-19 cases were detected among schools in 15 districts, including 40 students. 

However, according to the city’s Department of Education and Training, the situation was put under control due to the preparation of response plans.

In southern Bình Phước Province, schools will be re-opened for students in grades 11 and 12 in areas at low and medium risk of COVID-19 from January 3.

In Long An Province, primary and preschool students will return to school from January 3. High school students and secondary students returned to school on December 6 and December 20 respectively.

High school students in Sóc Trăng Province are expected to return to school on January 4, while secondary students will resume in-person classes on January 10. Planning is in place for primary and preschool students to return to in-person classes on February 14.

In northern Sơn La Province, all students moved back online on December 29, after new infection cases were detected at Quyết Tâm Primary School and Bế Văn Đàn Pre-school in Sơn La City. — VNS