COVID-19 Vaccinations for 12th Graders Start from the 19th... Early Vacation and Remote Transition Decided by Each School (Comprehensive)

Vaccination for Kindergarten and Grades 1-2 Staff from the 13th, for Grade 12 and Staff from the 19th
Vaccination for Seoul and Gyeonggi Academy Workers from the 13th, Other Local Governments Under Consultation
Additional Survey of Teachers Aged 60+ to be Conducted, Vaccination Planned After Mid-July

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Although COVID-19 cases have surged sharply since July, the current standard allowing up to two-thirds attendance at school will be maintained until social distancing measures are raised. Individual schools can opt for early vacation or switch to remote classes. Vaccinations for academy workers will begin in Seoul and Gyeonggi from the 13th, with other local governments coordinating their schedules.

On the 8th, Deputy Minister of Education Jeong Jong-cheol announced enhanced quarantine measures for schools and academies, stating, "The current principle allowing full attendance up to social distancing level 2 will be maintained," and added, "In the revised social distancing stages, level 3 allows up to two-thirds attendance, and level 4 requires switching to remote classes. If the infection situation worsens, we will respond according to this principle, considering infection and regional trends."

Early vacation or remote class transition decided after gathering school opinions

Rather than uniformly adjusting attendance standards considering the academic calendar, individual schools will be allowed to decide whether to have early vacation or switch to remote classes.

Deputy Minister Jeong said, "Although the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education held a separate countermeasure meeting, the principle is to take necessary measures linked to the overall infection situation. Partially, after gathering opinions from school members, switching to remote classes or early vacation is possible. If early vacation is taken, there is a burden to reflect it in the second semester's academic operations, so schools will comprehensively review and decide," he explained.

Vaccinations for academy workers will be conducted by including them as priority recipients in local governments. Vaccinations will be promoted from July 13 to 25 in Seoul and Gyeonggi. The Ministry of Education has decided to conduct proactive PCR testing for academy workers nationwide.

Deputy Minister Jeong explained, "Most local governments are actively considering academy workers as priority vaccination recipients. Except for Seoul and Gyeonggi, the other nine provinces have tentatively finalized plans to vaccinate from late July to mid-August, and other provinces are in consultation between local governments and education offices."

Vaccinations for teachers aged 60 and over, who were excluded from vaccination during the vacation period, will also proceed after mid-July. Deputy Minister Jeong said, "We agreed on the necessity of vaccinating all teaching staff to support full attendance in the second semester, and we plan to conduct additional surveys to vaccinate all staff who were missed due to health or other reasons."

Vaccinations for Grade 12 students and staff from the 19th... Attendance recognized up to 2 days after vaccination if adverse reactions occur

Vaccinations for kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 teachers will begin on the 13th. Grade 12 students and the remaining staff will start from the 19th. Grade 12 students attending high schools, special schools, accredited lifelong education facilities, alternative schools, and unlicensed educational facilities, as well as early graduates registered for the 2022 college entrance exam, will receive the Pfizer vaccine. Vaccination targets among staff include teachers, assistant teachers, industry-academic cooperation teachers, and educational public officials.

According to the analysis of the vaccination target list collected on the 2nd, the consent rate for Grade 12 student vaccination was 97.8%, and for high school staff, 95.7%. Vaccinations will be conducted at the school level. By early next week, vaccination centers will be assigned according to each school's preferred schedule, and schools will establish academic operation plans and inform parents and students. Vaccination targets must bring an ID with their resident registration number and photo to the designated center.

On the 7th, as the second half of the year COVID-19 vaccinations continue, the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Vaccination Center is seen to be quiet. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Students will be marked as excused absences on the day of vaccination and up to two days after. If adverse symptoms occur after three days, it will be recognized as a medical absence. Schools may have discretionary holidays or shortened classes on the vaccination day, and during the week of vaccination, the daily attendance principle for Grade 12 students will not apply, allowing remote classes. The schedule will be adjusted to avoid overlapping with final exams, but if fever or other symptoms coincide with the exam period, recognized scores will be granted.

Quarantine management for school sports teams and middle and high school physical education departments participating in training and competitions during vacation will also be strengthened. Student athletes living in dormitories will undergo PCR tests twice before and after vacation. Those participating in national-level competitions must take a PCR test before returning to school.

Deputy Minister Jeong said, "The most important thing for children is individual quarantine rules, and the government is making every effort to curb the spread by July and August. Over the past year and a half, learning losses, especially psychological and emotional issues and social skill deficits, have accumulated and can only have negative effects, so we set the goal of full attendance in the second semester," he concluded.

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