KUALA LUMPUR – Students and teachers whose family members have developed Covid-19 symptoms are advised not to go to school and stay at home, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
He said the ministry has received reports of parents with symptoms – but who have yet to test positive for Covid-19 – and may unknowingly spread the virus to their children, who then attend classes as usual as they are asymptomatic.
This comes amid an increasing number of infection clusters in education institutions, forcing dozens of schools nationwide to temporarily close due to outbreaks in their premises.
According to Dr Adham, in just four months since the start of the year, 23,779 students aged 12 and below have tested positive for Covid-19, a marked increase compared with 8,369 throughout the whole of last year.
“This shows how easy it is for cases to be transmitted in schools,” he told a press conference aired live on Facebook.
“As such, for teachers and students with symptoms, or if they have any family members at home who are positive or have any symptoms, they should not come to school.”
Dr Adham said he has discussed with Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali to give teachers and other school staffers an exemption to skip school if either they or a member of their family develops virus symptoms.
The staff will need to notify their respective district health offices to obtain a confirmation slip, he said, adding this new policy will come into force soon.
"The complaints we often hear from teachers are that, despite having symptoms, they are concerned about being absent from school as they don't want their absence to be regarded as ponteng (being truant)."
As for students, Dr Adham said parents need only write a letter to inform the school that a member of the household has shown symptoms.
On steps being taken to monitor cases and SOP compliance at boarding schools and student dormitories, Dr Adham said the ministry has begun active engagement with state and district health authorities on the matter.
"For full boarding schools, it is easier for us to investigate cases and deal with them immediately, as all students stay together.
“For semi-boarding schools, with some students staying outside, we are looking at how to control and monitor the infections.
“The onus is on the principals and teachers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Adham said, of the overall 390,252 infections recorded in the country to date, about 60% are sporadic cases (where the source of infection cannot be determined), with Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor being the top three states with such cases.
The number of new positive infections last week increased by 26.6%, with 17,393 cases recorded compared with 13,742 the previous week.
Similarly, the number of individuals admitted into intensive care units also grew to 246 last week, from 205 previously. – The Vibes, April 26, 2021
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