“If a student turns out to be infected with the virus, health authorities will take the necessary action and the school will switch to online classes.”
High school seniors are preparing for a highly competitive annual college entrance exam.
Younger pupils will resume school in stages between May 20 and June 1, Yoo said.
Pupils and teachers will have to wear a mask, except for during mealtimes, wipe their desks and maintain distance as they move around.
Schools will also be required to carry out regular disinfection and temperature checks and rearrange seating.
The announcement came a day after the government relaxed the distancing rules from May 6, enabling some public facilities such as museums and libraries to reopen in stages.
Surveys commissioned by the education ministry showed a majority of parents and teachers supported the idea of a phased reopening of the schools within two weeks of the end of the intensive social distancing.
South Korea has succeeded in lowering the daily rate of infections to about 10 or less, mostly imported.
“We don’t believe there is a high possibility of mass outbreaks in schools after the schools reopen, but we can’t rule it out,” KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a separate briefing. — Reuters
South Korean pupils to go back to school, wearing masks
Image: REUTERS/ KIM HONG-JI
South Korea on Monday said it would reopen schools in stages starting from May 13, as the daily number of domestic cases of the new coronavirus has fallen close to zero over recent days.
But health authorities urged vigilance once some 5.5 million elementary, middle and high school pupils gather in classrooms, and are busy conducting mock drills and preparing guidelines in the event of any upsurge in infection.
Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus without the extensive lockdowns seen in other countries.
But the beginning of the spring semester has been postponed four times since March during an intensive social distancing campaign, which has obliged schools to hold online classes.
“We’re now preparing for the opening of schools while managing the daily risks of the disease,” education minister Yoo Eun-hae told a televised briefing.
“If a student turns out to be infected with the virus, health authorities will take the necessary action and the school will switch to online classes.”
High school seniors are preparing for a highly competitive annual college entrance exam.
Younger pupils will resume school in stages between May 20 and June 1, Yoo said.
Pupils and teachers will have to wear a mask, except for during mealtimes, wipe their desks and maintain distance as they move around.
Schools will also be required to carry out regular disinfection and temperature checks and rearrange seating.
The announcement came a day after the government relaxed the distancing rules from May 6, enabling some public facilities such as museums and libraries to reopen in stages.
Surveys commissioned by the education ministry showed a majority of parents and teachers supported the idea of a phased reopening of the schools within two weeks of the end of the intensive social distancing.
South Korea has succeeded in lowering the daily rate of infections to about 10 or less, mostly imported.
“We don’t believe there is a high possibility of mass outbreaks in schools after the schools reopen, but we can’t rule it out,” KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a separate briefing. — Reuters
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