In the last week or so, you’ve probably heard more screaming and crying from your neighbours while working from home.
You’ve also seen more cheery children during the afternoons, and more frowns on parents’ faces.
Enter the September holidays, the 10 days or so where kids can finally take a break from school and have some fun at home or outdoors.
Since they’ve probably visited a few places, however, there’s a need to ensure that all students are well before they return.
And unfortunately, there’s no better way to do that than to shove a swab up your nose.
3 COVID-19 ART Kits will be Given to All Primary School Pupils After Their Sep Holidays
This is why all primary school students will be getting three COVID-19 antigen rapid test (ART) kits each from today (13 Sep), when they return to the classroom.
Speaking about the move, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing encouraged all families to familiarise themselves with the testing process by helping their students to do a self-test at home this week.
As a former child myself, I wish you the best of luck with that.
The first test will serve as a “one-time sweep”, Mr Chan said, to ensure that children are safe before they return to school.
The other two test kits are for “future contingencies, which we will replenish as necessary”, he explained.
Four-Pronged Approach to Keep Children, Teachers, & Staff Safe
The distribution of test kits is just one part of a four-pronged approach to keep children, teachers, and staff safe, Mr Chan said.
In the second measure, parents are urged not to send their children to school if they are unwell or if a family member is undergoing quarantine or required to be in isolation.
Thirdly, the education ministry will continue to maintain tight safe management measures in schools, including mask-wearing and good personal hygiene. CCAs for primary schools will remain suspended.
Lastly, the ministry will continue to isolate and ringfence known cases and their close contacts quickly to minimise transmission risks and disruption to the rest of the students, staff, and families.
Children Who Have Contact COVID-19 So Far Have Had Relatively Mild Symptoms
The good news is that children who have contracted the coronavirus so far have had relatively mild symptoms.
On Saturday (11 Sep) alone, there were 22 COVID-19 cases aged 11 and below.
Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant, Mr Chan said.
As Mr Chan pointed out, since children cannot get vaccinated yet, we should all get vaccinated to reduce the risk of spreading the disease to our young ones.
“It will take the collective efforts of our community to keep our children safe,” he said.
Learn more about the different kinds of test kits here:
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Featured Image: Facebook (Chan Chun Sing)
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