Students Returning from Hubei Province in China Face 2-Week 'No School Attendance'... 'School Opening Delay' Under Review (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Education Implements 'Self-Quarantine' Measures for Students and Staff... Attendance Recognized
Strengthening Response through Pre-Inspection of Educational Institutions' Preparedness

On the 28th, as concerns about the spread intensified with the occurrence of the fourth confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection, passengers at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport were wearing masks while preparing to depart. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The education sector, which is set to resume classes sequentially right after the Lunar New Year holiday, has been put on high alert due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). Each education office is also considering the option of postponing the start of the semester depending on the situation.

On the morning of the 28th, the Ministry of Education held a video conference chaired by Vice Minister Park Baek-beom with deputy superintendents from 17 cities and provinces nationwide to discuss measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. During the meeting, Vice Minister Park urged, "If any students or staff who have returned from Hubei Province, China, show suspicious symptoms, please immediately report to the local health center or the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (phone 1339)."

The education authorities are also conducting thorough investigations of students, staff, and accompanying parents who have visited Hubei Province, and have issued guidelines for at least 14 days of self-quarantine based on the date of return. Even if there are no suspicious symptoms, they are instructed not to come to school, and in such cases, the quarantine period will be recognized as attendance.

This measure is interpreted as an effort to preemptively block the rapid spread of the infectious disease into the local community through group settings such as schools.

Each school will designate a person in charge of the novel coronavirus and check the status of self-quarantined individuals daily, as well as provide support for quarantine supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers.

For schools still on vacation, they have been asked to re-examine the infectious disease prevention and response readiness of care classrooms during the vacation. Additionally, group events within schools such as graduation ceremonies should be conducted on a small scale as much as possible, and thorough personal hygiene is urged.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education also held an emergency meeting of department heads chaired by Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon on the morning of the same day, deciding to strengthen students' hygiene management and keep all options open, including postponing the start of the semester, depending on the situation.

Superintendent Cho emphasized, "Please respond very strictly by including not only students who recently visited China but also staff as subjects of management, and require students to wear masks without exception when attending school."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.