Students of a school in Vĩnh Phúc Province have their body temperature checked before being allowed to enter their classrooms. — VNA/VNS.Photo Hoàng Mạnh Hùng

HCM CITY — The People’s Committee of the southern province of Đồng Nai on Tuesday decided to keep kindergartens and primary and middle schools closed until the end of March as a safety measure against the spread of the new coronavirus.

These were scheduled to reopen on Sunday.

Secondary schools and continuing education centres reopened on March 2 and are functioning normally.

Cao Tiến Dũng, chairman of the People’s Committee, instructed schools to comply with COVID-19 prevention and control measures and communicate preventive measures to students.

The province will provide all schools with one or two thermometer guns to measure students and teachers’ body temperature.

The Mekong Delta provinces of Long An, Bến Tre and Trà Vinh are keeping kindergartens, primary and middle schools closed until Sunday.

In Tiền Giang Province, all schools are closed until Sunday mainly because of the epidemic threat but also because a shortage of water means many schools are unable to ensure students and teachers’ hygiene.

All students in HCM City, except those studying in the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, remain home until Sunday.

The university’s nearly 14,000 students resumed classes on Monday after a five-week break. They had to declare their health status and everyone in good health has been allowed to attend classes.

In the first week the university has been organising training for students and lecturers about COVID-19 prevention and control.

The students have been divided into small groups to study at various facilities. Air conditioners are not switched on in lecture halls and hand sanitisers have been provided to students and also placed in front of elevators, classrooms and toilets.

Students are encouraged to take the stairs rather than elevators.

On Monday Đà Lạt and Nha Trang universities also reopened.

Đà Lạt University has more than 10,000 students, but only 2,700 attended on the first day.

Nha Trang University has divided its students into two groups, with nearly 3,500 attending classes on Monday and the remaining 12,000 starting on March 30. — VNS