Government prepares for safe reopening of schools on July 1

Officials from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health are working closely with the Education Ministry to facilitate the safe reopening of schools on July 1. There has been recent debate if the schools system would be ready by that date. The rollout of online learning has only been since Monday this week, with early bugs being ironed out and teachers, and students, getting used to the new online classrooms.

Thai PBS World reports that Dr Panpimon Wipulakorn, director-general of the Health Department says schools carry a higher risk of infection due to the fact that children spend most of the day together, in contrast with places like shopping malls where people are more spaced apart. While infected children will usually display only minor symptoms, or may even be asymptomatic, they can transmit the virus to others. Research shows that nearly 4% of all virus cases are in the 10-19 age group, with most of those having caught it from family members.

Dr Panpimon admits that it may be a challenge to get young children to comply with safety measures such as regular hand washing, wearing of masks, and physical distancing, adding that a handbook has been produced and sent to all schools to help with this. She asks parents not to worry unnecessarily but to teach their children how to stay safe. She also advises parents and teachers to communicate with each other regularly.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World