The ministries of health and education today decided that there will be no compulsory public health measures to protect against the spread of the current highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 at schools nationwide, which are scheduled to re-open on 12 September.

The decisions was based on the unanimous recommendation of the National Committee on COVID-19, which convened today to review the issue and offer its opinion.

The only recommendation issued by the government is that students take a Covid-19 self-test in the event that they have symptoms of the infection.

The general guideline issued by the health and education ministries is that children who have symptoms should stay home, as is the cases with all other viruses and infections.

In the event that a student tests positive for Covid-19, the same quarantine measures that are in force for the general population will be enforced.

The student must remain in isolation for five days and avoid contact with other individuals.

After the five-day period of quarantine, if there are no symptoms or the symptoms have completely receded for 24 hours without the use of medication for fever, the quarantine ceases.

Upon infected students’ return to school, there will be compulsory wearing of a N95 or KN95 or FFP2 mask, or a double mask, for at least five days following the end of the quarantine.

Other standard measures to be implemented include careful hand hygiene (washing of hands) and following existing guidelines for the proper ventilation of classrooms and other school spaces.

The public health measures for schools announced today will be reviewed by the COVID-19 Committee in the event that the epidemiological data change,

Further details will be clarified in a forthcoming Joint Ministerial Decision.

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