Ministry of Education: "Attendance Recognized on Vaccination Day and 2 Days After for 3rd Year High School Students... Masks Must Be Worn at School"

On the 22nd, as the number of people receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine exceeded 15 million and the vaccination rate approached 30%, the vaccination center in Dongjak-gu, Seoul was busy. As of midnight that day, the number of people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine increased by 20,231, reaching a cumulative total of 15,039,998. This accounts for 29.3% of the total population. The number of people who completed both doses reached 4,167,533, which is about 8.1% of the entire population. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education will complete the vaccination consent survey for high school seniors by the 30th. Attendance will be recognized for up to two days on the day of vaccination and if any adverse symptoms occur.

At the Ministry of Education's regular briefing on the 28th, an official explained, "Vaccinations for high school seniors will begin the week of July 19, and since the list must usually be submitted three weeks prior to vaccination, we agreed to share the list with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency by the 30th," adding, "Some schools were a bit rushed in compiling the list."

If high school seniors or exam candidates do not consent to this priority vaccination, vaccination in the third quarter will not be possible. The Ministry of Education official added, "The third quarter vaccination plan targets priority groups and adults under 40, so vaccination will be possible after that."

The Ministry of Education decided to recognize attendance for two days on the day of vaccination and if any adverse symptoms occur for high school seniors who receive the vaccine. Even after completing vaccination, masks must be worn during outdoor school activities. Wearing masks is also mandatory on the days of the September mock exam and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "During the revision of quarantine guidelines, we reviewed mask-wearing during outdoor activities with the quarantine authorities, but the opinion was that masks must be maintained in schools where group living occurs, even if vaccinated," adding, "Masks must be worn indoors without exception, so they must also be worn during the mock exam and CSAT."

They are also reviewing a plan to allow vaccination for teachers aged 60 and over, who were excluded from the vaccination target when vaccinations for those aged 60 and above began in the first quarter.

The Ministry of Education official said, "There have been cases where teachers aged 60 and over did not make or canceled previous vaccination appointments, so there have been requests to include them, and we are sharing opinions with the quarantine authorities."

For teachers aged 60 and over who have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine, the vaccination timing was later than for other staff in the same age group, making it difficult to complete vaccination during the school vacation. Regarding this, the Ministry of Education official explained, "This is a matter for the quarantine authorities to review or decide, so it is difficult to respond."

Vaccinations will begin in early July for special and health teachers under 30, followed by high school seniors and high school staff, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school staff and care workers, and then university entrance exam candidates in order.

The Ministry of Education stated that it is not considering providing incentives for vaccinated students or teachers. There is also no decision yet on whether to promote vaccination for private academy instructors.

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