Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen has approved a proposal by the municipal Department of Education and Training to allow senior high school students to return for in-person instruction from November 22 with proper precautions in place to keep them safe and healthy throughout the school year.

The decision was made at a meeting held late afternoon on Monday, November 15, and the event was attended by members of the municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, officials from health and education sectors along with relevant agencies.  

Vice Chairwoman Yen delivered her address at Monday’s meeting. Photo: PHAN CHUNG

Under plans for reopening schools created by the municipal Department of Education and Training based on the COVID-19 situation in the city and the school immunisation program, 12^th grade classes will return first on November 22, and grade 10 and grade 11 students will then resume a week later on  November 29. Years 8 and 9 students will join in-person classes within 14 days after their first vaccination.

Vice Chairwoman Yen highlighted the need for schools to resume in-person instruction as soon as possible in line with the guidelines from Viet Nam’s national government and the Ministry of Health but implement mitigation strategies during all school-related activities to successfully reopen schools and keep them open.

Mrs Yen remarked that face-to-face instruction will be only allowed to be conducted in areas at alert COVID-19 levels 1 and 2, and only students and staff in these areas are allowed to attend in-person classes.

Currently, there are no specific guidelines for vaccinating children under 12 years old against COVID-19 from the Ministry of Health. Therefore, Mrs Yen asked the health agency to work with the education sector to create plans for safely resuming in-person instruction in primary schools and preschools based on the COVID-19 situation in the city. She stressed the need to keep these schools, their staff, parents and their children informed about the city’s decision for reopening schools one week in advance in order to help them prepare for safely returning to classrooms.

As for other educational establishments in Da Nang, only staff and students who live in areas at alert COVID-19 levels 1 and 2, and have received their first COVID-19 vaccination within 14 days are eligible to attend in-person classrooms.

Vice Chairwoman Yen highlighted huge efforts authorities at local level and relevant units have made to ramp up contact tracing, isolating and testing efforts to considerably reduce COVID-19 cases, especially infections in the community, in recent days.

She also urged the health agency to roll out the immunization programme for Years 8 and 9 students as soon as possible in an attempt to allow them to return to the classrooms as scheduled.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – Translating by H.L