Installation of partitions and sitting facing one direction... Social distancing applied to school meals when school opens

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Distributes Guidelines on Meal Distribution
School Principals to Decide Based on Meal Conditions After School Opens

Minimize Contact Among Students
Thorough Hygiene of Individuals and Meal Facilities

The above photo is not related to the article (Source=Asia Economy DB)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] If schools reopen on April 6, the school meal scene is expected to change significantly. To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), most schools plan to implement meal services in a different way than before to maintain social distancing even after reopening.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 23rd that after reopening, it will provide guidelines related to meal distribution, including ▲ switching to classroom meal distribution ▲ adjusting seating arrangements to maintain distance between students ▲ providing easy-to-prepare meals. After reopening, school principals will decide based on meal conditions through school operation committees and parent demand surveys.

When switching to classroom meal distribution, menus will be composed of dishes that are easy to prepare and distribute, and simple meals will be provided if necessary. Currently, among Seoul’s 1,335 elementary, middle, high, and special schools, 981 schools (73.5%) operate cafeteria distribution, 298 schools (22.3%) operate classroom distribution, and 56 schools (4.2%) operate both.

Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education

To minimize contact between students, meal distribution will switch to classroom distribution, but if cafeteria distribution is maintained, seating arrangements will be adjusted to maintain distance between students, temporary partitions will be installed on tables, and meal times will be staggered by grade and class to disperse distribution times as much as possible. Spaces other than cafeterias that can be used for meal distribution will be secured and used as temporary cafeterias.

Dinner service will be temporarily suspended until the COVID-19 crisis alert level is eased, but it will be maintained in school dormitories. If meal distribution times are staggered, meal service workers will be recognized for up to 2 hours of overtime pay per day, and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to provide additional support for labor costs.

Concerns about personal hygiene and meal facility hygiene will also be strictly managed. Students will be instructed to wash and disinfect their hands before meals; staff will guide students on personal hygiene and meal distribution; meal service workers will check for fever or respiratory symptoms twice daily; and food delivery workers will wear masks before inspection and have their health status checked.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regular disinfection of the meal rooms will be conducted, and facilities and utensils frequently touched by students will be cleaned and disinfected daily. Hand sanitizers will be placed at the entrance and inside the cafeteria, disinfectants will be provided at each distribution station for disinfection after the first distribution, ventilation will be done after the first round of distribution before the next, and visits by outsiders to the meal rooms, including parent monitoring, will be temporarily suspended.

Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said, "The operation of school meals after reopening is an unavoidable measure to provide meals prioritizing the safety of students and staff. It will be operated temporarily and flexibly, and I hope that school members will have empathy and trust."

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