Selected groups of students, teachers can remove masks during lessons so as not to compromise language learning

SINGAPORE — Selected groups of teachers and students in schools, preschools and early intervention centres will be given the flexibility of removing their masks during language and literacy lessons, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Thursday (March 24).

These groups include children with hearing loss, speech articulation issues or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, MOH said in a press release following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's televised message on the relaxation of Covid-19 regulations.

Such a move would help to support children's learning and development needs for these groups, who have faced challenges in developing language and literacy skills due to rules specifying or encouraging the use of face masks.

For now, children who are six years old and above must wear a mask when they leave their homes, while those younger than six are strongly encouraged to mask up when they interact with others.

In a press conference by the national Covid-19 task force, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the move arose due to feedback from educators.

"The early years are critical for language acquisition. It is important that the learning needs of our students for speech and languages not be compromised, as there may be ramifications for the longer term," he added. 

More details will be provided later by the Ministry of Education and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), MOH said.

HOME RECOVERY FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Separately, from Friday, the Government will be expanding its home recovery programme, also known as Protocol 2, to paediatric Covid-19 patients aged between 12 months and two years old.

Patients in that age group will be managed under Protocol 2 "by default", either at home or under the care of their primary care physicians or paediatricians. 

Right now, patients aged three to 69 may recover at home under Protocol 2, regardless of vaccination status, since the vast majority of people in this age group can recover safely on their own, MOH said.

"Local clinical data collected during the Omicron wave indicates that most children in the 12 months to two years old age group also experience mild symptoms and recover uneventfully in the community."