News

All Parents, Even For Newly Enrolled Children, Cannot Enter Pre-School Premises During Phase 2 (HA)

2021-07-22 , 2:00 pm

Today marks the first day of Phase 2, a less annoying but incredibly frustrating cousin of the circuit breaker.

Reader: Wait, did I time travel back to 19 June 2020?

Oh no, this is Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). It’s just like Phase 2 except that dining in is not allowed and fewer household visitors and participants in social gatherings are permitted.

Reader: Oh…

Yes.

Reader: Is it too late to time travel back to 2020?

Sadly, while many of us expected 2021 to be this magical year when the coronavirus disappeared, we’re still facing many of the restrictions that plagued us last year.

With the promise of opening up, no one is taking any risks during this critical period, even pre-schools.

All Parents, Even for Newly Enrolled Children, Cannot Enter Pre-School Premises During Phase 2 (HA)

All parents will not be allowed to enter pre-school premises from today (22 July), the Early Childhood Development Agency (Ecda) said in a letter to parents.

This includes parents of newly-enrolled children.

Be prepared for lots of crying.

In the letter, Ecda said pre-schools are tightening their safe management rules in accordance with Phase 2 (HA) guidelines.

Under the new rules, only those who are necessary for the running of pre-schools, as well as those needed to perform essential functions such as contractors and licensing officers, may enter the premises.

Enrichment classes have also been advised to move online to curb transmission within and across pre-schools.

Other Measures

If a child or employee has a household member undergoing a COVID-19 test, they will be placed on a leave of absence until the test result comes back negative.

Similarly, children or employees with household members who receive a health risk warning from the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be placed on a leave of absence until the test returns a negative result.

MOH issues a health risk warning to those who have been in casual contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, or those who have visited a high-risk location on the same day as another case.

Children & Employees Still Allowed to Attend Pre-School If They Receive Health Risk Warning & Are Well

However, if a child or employee receives a health risk warning, they will still be allowed to attend pre-school as long as they’re well.

Nevertheless, they are strongly encouraged to be tested and minimise their social interactions for the duration specified by MOH.

If they have a household member with flu-like symptoms, however, they are advised to stay at home until the unwell household member tests negative for COVID-19.

Schools to Remain Open During Phase 2 (HA)

While community cases are at an all time high, educational institutions will remain open during Phase 2 (HA).

As Finance Minister Lawrence Wong noted, the extended closure of schools in the past has had an impact of learning.

The Ministry of Education will ensure that all safe management measures are adhered to strictly, and will see if further adjustments are necessary, he said.