RI Canteen Stall Assistant Infected, 4 Primary Pupils & 1 Staff Also Positive
As the number of Covid-19 cases increase again, Singaporeans with children might be feeling a familiar sense of dread.
They’ll wonder whether their kids are safe from the virus at school, after a similar spike in May included some schoolchildren.
Unfortunately, it’s happening again, as 6 schools in Singapore have reported infections among pupils and staff in the last few days.
Raffles Institution (left) and Naval Base Primary School.
Source, Source
Among these schools, at least 3 of them will conduct home-based learning (HBL) for selected students who’ve been exposed to the virus.
6 pupils among Covid-19 infections
According to circulars sent out by the schools that were seen by MS News, the Covid-19-positive cases comprise 6 pupils, 1 staff member and 1 canteen stall assistant.
The 6 schools affected are:
- Raffles Institution (1 Raffles Institution Lane)
- Horizon Primary School (61 Edgedale Plains)
- Punggol Cove Primary School (52 Sumang Walk)
- Yangzheng Primary School (15 Serangoon Avenue 3)
- Naval Base Primary School (7 Yishun Avenue 4)
- Opera Estate Primary School (48 Fidelio Street)
All schools said that students and staff who had been in close contact with the case were placed on Leave Of Absence (LOA).
Parents of students identified as close contacts via TraceTogether data will also be contacted by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
They sought parents’ assistance to inform them if they’ve been contacted by MOH, as this would be on top of the contact tracing conducted by the school.
Raffles Institution canteen stall assistant infected
At Raffles Institution (RI), a circular said the infected person is a stall assistant at its canteen for Years 1-4.
The woman was last in school on Friday (16 Jul), and tested positive on Saturday (17 Jul).
She said she had minimal contact with staff and students, apart from collecting payment for meals.
Because of this, all Year 1-4 students at RI will be on HBL on Monday (19 Jul), ahead of the public holiday on Tuesday (20 Jul).
This is to facilitate deep cleaning of the premises.
Horizon Primary staff member infected
Horizon Primary School informed parents in a circular that a staff member had contracted Covid-19.
The person was last in school on Thursday (15 Jul), and is a household member of another confirmed case.
However, the school didn’t mention anything about conducting HBL.
Punggol Cove P3 pupil infected
Punggol Cove Primary School said that a Primary 3 pupil had been infected.
He or she was last in school on Thursday (15 Jul), and is a household member of a confirmed case.
Thus, all P3 students will undergo HBL from 19-21 Jul, except for 20 Jul, which is a public holiday.
Pupils in other levels will attend school as normal from Monday (19 Jul).
Yangzheng P2 pupil infected
For Yangzheng Primary School, its infected case is a Primary 2 pupil.
According to its circular, he or she was last in school on Thursday (15 Jul), and was well.
The school underwent deep cleaning on Saturday (17 Jul).
As a precaution, all Primary 2 pupils will do HBL from 19-21 Jul, except for 20 Jul.
Naval Base, Opera Estate P6 pupils infected
Over at Naval Base Primary School, the case is a Primary 6 pupil who was last in school on Tuesday (13 Jul).
The pupil is a close contact of an existing case from the same household.
The pupil infected from Opera Estate Primary School is also from Primary 6, who was last in school on Monday (12 Jul).
However, both schools didn’t mention anything about conducting HBL.
HBL beckons again
As Singapore’s case numbers rise steeply, parents may wonder whether it’s time to move all students to HBL like we did in mid-May.
This is despite many pupils having returned to school just weeks ago.
After all, nobody wants to see another case of Covid-19 transmission in school.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but we trust the authorities will make the right decision depending on the situation.
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