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Covid-19: Closing schools might not protect children from infection, says Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE — Some parents have called for schools to be closed amid the Covid-19 outbreak for the sake of safety, but doing so might not necessarily protect children from infection, said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (Feb 14).

Schools are now better prepared to face the Covid-19 outbreak as proper procedures have been set in place, Mr Ong Ye Kung said.

Schools are now better prepared to face the Covid-19 outbreak as proper procedures have been set in place, Mr Ong Ye Kung said.

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SINGAPORE — Some parents have called for schools to be closed amid the Covid-19 outbreak for the sake of safety, but doing so might not necessarily protect children from infection, said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (Feb 14).

This is because infections can happen at home, if there are family members who are exposed to the disease.

Moreover, children might not stay at home all the time so the risk of infection is harder to mitigate when they mingle in public spaces, Mr Ong said.

“With regular cleaning and disinfection by our team of cleaners, we can actually keep the school environment very clean,” he told reporters at First Toa Payoh Primary School, where he launched a Total Defence Day campaign to rally students against Covid-19.

“In school, they are kept within this environment with a protocol, with teachers repeatedly reminding and bringing them to wash their hands, reminding them not to touch their face, making sure that those who come in with a fever or are not feeling well are asked to rest at home.”

The minister pointed out that childcare arrangements might not necessarily be a safer alternative as compared to school.

Closing schools could also be disruptive, as parents would have to adjust to new routines and reshuffle childcare plans, he said.

“At the beginning we may feel safe, but as school continued to be close, after a while, normalcy (would be) disrupted,” cautioned Mr Ong.

“Over a longer period of time with your life disrupted, it can give rise to sadness, despair, even a bit of fear.”

Mr Ong said that closing schools would be a “difficult” decision to take, and the pros and cons have to be weighed carefully.

When schools were temporarily closed during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, this was done in order to “beef up” the systems, he pointed out.

Schools are now better prepared to face the Covid-19 outbreak as proper procedures have been set in place, Mr Ong stressed.

Measures such as ensuring that every child has a thermometer and conducting temperature checks at all school gates have since been implemented.

Mr Ong gave the assurance that the authorities are monitoring the situation closely in case there is a wider community spread.

Related topics

school coronavirus Wuhan virus Covid-19 Ong Ye Kung

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