"School Reopening with Higher Standards than Transition to Daily Quarantine... Considering Phased Reopening" (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 27th, the government stated regarding the reopening of elementary, middle, and high schools, "We plan to apply conservative and high standards rather than deciding on a transition to everyday quarantine."

Kim Kang-lip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex that day, "It will not be easy to evaluate the reopening criteria simply by the number of confirmed cases or the proportion of infection routes occurring within the quarantine system."

Coordinator Kim explained, "The decision will be made after discussing whether our educational sites are prepared to implement quarantine measures, whether related guidelines or resources are secured, whether faculty and staff are sufficiently familiar with and ready to execute quarantine rules, and whether parents have trust that their children will be protected from COVID-19 infection after returning to school."

Earlier, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also ordered at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting that morning, "The Ministry of Education should proceed with all necessary procedures to announce the timing and method of school reopening by early May at the latest." Regarding this, Coordinator Kim said, "The reopening in early May is not yet confirmed," adding, "We will listen to various opinions and discuss how to reduce risks while allowing students to gather and study at school as much as possible, and we will inform the public by early May at the latest."

Regarding Prime Minister Chung’s consideration of prioritizing reopening for 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students, Coordinator Kim said, "We believe that reopening all at once may be difficult because it requires meeting several conditions simultaneously."

He continued, "We are keeping the discussion open regarding the method of reopening and the possibility of phased reopening," and "We are discussing a plan to prioritize 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students preparing for advancement to higher education." He also explained, "Measures such as a two-shift system or adjusting school hours are also matters that can be discussed together."

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