'New Semester Omicron Emergency' Ministry of Education Activates Emergency Response System... "60.5 Million Kits Provided Free"

Ministry of Education and Metropolitan/Provincial Offices of Education Shift to Emergency Response System... Kindergarten to High School Students to Test Twice Weekly Before School
Yoo Eun-hye: "Rapid Antigen Kits Not Mandated for Parents and Students"
Emergency Response Teams Operate by Education Offices, Mobile On-site PCR Testing Stations Installed... 1,681 Additional Health Personnel Deployed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Education, ahead of the new semester, is activating an emergency response system for Omicron in collaboration with metropolitan and provincial offices of education and will provide 60.5 million rapid antigen test kits to students and staff in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools. Additionally, to alleviate the burden of quarantine measures at frontline schools, emergency response teams will be operated by each education office, mobile on-site testing centers will be installed, and 1,681 additional health personnel will be deployed.

On the 16th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye announced these measures at the Government Complex Sejong, unveiling the "Additional Support Plan for School Quarantine" and stating that a "New Semester Omicron Response Emergency Inspection Team," led by Deputy Prime Minister Yoo, will be operated continuously. The Ministry of Education plans to conduct weekly regular quarantine meetings among education offices to monitor school situations in real time and designate an intensive quarantine period until March 11, during which they will jointly address any deficiencies with metropolitan and provincial education offices.

First, rapid antigen test kits will be provided free of charge to 6.92 million students and staff, including those in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools. This measure aims to reduce the burden on schools and parents for purchasing test kits and to support more stable school quarantine measures for the new semester. The Ministry of Education will supply 60.5 million rapid antigen test kits from the fourth week of February through the fifth week of March, investing a budget of 146.4 billion KRW with the cooperation of education offices.

Specifically, in the fourth week of February, two test kits per person will be provided to students attending kindergarten and elementary schools, and in March, 9 kits per student and 4 kits per staff member will be supplied, totaling 60.5 million kits. Additionally, rapid antigen test kits equivalent to about 10% of the total students and staff will be separately reserved for testing contacts identified through school self-investigations when infections occur within schools.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo stated, "The rapid antigen test kits distributed to schools will be supported to ensure stable supply through the government joint task force," and explained, "The rapid antigen test kits supporting school quarantine for the new semester will be provided to students and staff through schools, allowing them to proactively test at home starting the day before attending school, while operating with active recommendations aligned with the spirit of voluntary quarantine."

She added, "The rapid antigen test kits will be operated under a voluntary quarantine system, and we will not mandate parents and students to use the kits. In cases where it is unavoidable not to use the rapid antigen test kits, special support measures will be prepared for kindergarten and lower-grade elementary students."

The Ministry of Education recommends conducting proactive testing every Sunday and Wednesday evening starting from the second week of March, while allowing adjustments to the specific testing schedule based on local and school conditions. Test results will be shared with schools through a self-diagnosis app, and those testing positive will be guided to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

Furthermore, in line with the government's transition in quarantine systems, on-site support will be strengthened to reduce procedural burdens such as investigating contacts and requiring tests when confirmed cases occur in schools. Once twice-weekly proactive testing is established, the burden on schools for self-investigating contacts will significantly decrease, as will the burden of conducting three rapid antigen tests over seven days for asymptomatic students and staff contacts.

Mobile on-site PCR testing centers will also be operated by metropolitan and provincial education offices starting in March for cases where infection concerns arise due to confirmed cases in schools. These PCR testing centers will be installed in key regional locations through consignment to specialized diagnostic medical institutions, supporting exclusive testing for students and staff. Additionally, mobile specimen collection teams will visit schools with confirmed cases to collect samples and notify results.

Moreover, each metropolitan and provincial education office will operate so-called "emergency response teams" nationwide, comprising 187 teams with 716 personnel. Following these emergency response teams, 229.2 billion KRW will be provided to support 70,000 school quarantine dedicated personnel nationwide, and in addition to the 11,459 health teachers currently deployed, 1,681 auxiliary personnel will be further assigned.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Eun-hye emphasized, "For the success of school quarantine measures responding to Omicron, the help and cooperation of our students, teachers, and parents are absolutely necessary, and I earnestly ask for active participation," adding, "We will swiftly respond by transitioning to an emergency response system to address any shortcomings."

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