Primary School Pupils To Receive 10 ART Kits
Parents might be feeling worried that primary school pupils returned to physical lessons earlier this month despite the surge in Covid-19 cases.
Hence, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has introduced a new testing regime to safeguard the health and safety of schoolchildren.
Primary school pupils will now have to take an antigen rapid test (ART) every 2 weeks till the schools close for the end-of-year holidays.
To facilitate this, pupils will be receiving 10 ART kits from Monday (25 Oct).
Primary school pupils to take ART every 2 weeks
On Wednesday (20 Oct), MOE sent a letter via the digital portal Parents Gateway to parents and guardians informing them of the new testing regime.
Starting from October, primary school pupils will have to take an ART every 2 weeks.
The first test will be taken on 31 Oct and the second on 14 Nov before school holidays commence on 20 Nov.
According to The Straits Times (ST), MOE will distribute 10 ART kits to each student from Monday (25 Oct), so parents do not need to buy kits for their children.
ART to be taken under parental supervision
Parents and guardians will need to supervise the pupils as they take the ART.
Following the test, parents can submit the results via a link provided by the student’s school.
If a positive result is obtained, the student’s form teacher must be informed immediately.
They can then rest at home and self-isolate for 72 hours if they do not present symptoms. Following that, they can end their isolation after getting a negative test result.
However, if the student is unwell, they will be sent to a Swab and Send Home clinic or Public Health Preparedness clinic for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
201 local cases aged 11 and below
These new testing protocols for pupils come when Covid-19 numbers have remained high in Singapore for the past month.
On Tuesday (19 Oct), 3,480 local cases were reported.
7 Covid-19 Deaths On 19 Oct As Daily Case Count Edges Closer To 4,000
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), 201 cases are children aged 11 and below.
Primary school pupils had resumed physical lessons earlier on 13 Oct.
Pupils need not attend school this week due to the ongoing PSLE marking exercise that had been extended by a day this year, reported ST.
Classes will resume for primary school pupils again on Monday (25 Oct).
Glad MOE taking necessary precautions
Attending in-person classes and interacting with friends in school is a crucial part of children’s development.
We’re glad that even as MOE brings pupils back to school, they are cautious and taking the necessary precautions to protect them.
So, parents, remind your children to abide by safe-distancing measures and observe good hygiene habits as they return to school on Monday (25 Oct).
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Featured image adapted from Chan Chun Sing on Facebook and Facebook.
