7 primary schools with COVID-19 cases to switch to home-based learning from May 17 to 28
A general view outside Yio Chu Kang Primary School. (Screengrab: Google Street View)
SINGAPORE: Seven primary schools with COVID-19 infections will move to home-based learning from Monday (May 17) until the end of the school term on May 28, the Ministry of Education said on Sunday.
This measure is taken to "safeguard students and staff and curb the risk of any transmission in our schools", the ministry said in a press release.
The schools that will move to home-based learning are:
- Kong Hwa School
- Palm View Primary School
- St Andrew’s Junior School
- St Margaret’s Primary School
- St Stephen’s School
- Yio Chu Kang Primary School
- Yu Neng Primary School
MOE said that it is in contact with the seven schools to provide support for teachers and students in conducting online learning. Teachers are also in contact with students and parents, it said.
The ministry is "closely monitoring" the well-being of students and staff members identified as close contacts of confirmed cases, and will implement similar measures for other schools where necessary.
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CASES FROM LEARNING POINT TUITION CENTRE
The move comes amid more cases of COVID-19 emerging among primary school students linked to tuition and enrichment centres.
The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that five students (two from Kong Hwa School, one from St Andrew’s Junior School and two from St Stephen’s School) had tested positive for COVID-19. They had all attended classes run by an infected private tutor at Learning Point at Parkway Centre.
On Sunday, the ministry announced that two more students from St Andrew’s Junior School had also tested positive for COVID-19. The students, an eight-year-old and a 12-year-old who are siblings, had last shared a bus with the previous St Andrew’s Junior School case on May 11.
The siblings had symptoms such as fever or runny nose.
Timeline: How a COVID-19 cluster emerged at Learning Point tuition centre
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Another four students from Learning Point at Parkway Centre also tested positive for COVID-19 on May 15, said MOE.
Two of them are from Kong Hwa School, while the remaining two are from St Margaret’s Primary School and Yu Neng Primary School. They were all last in school on May 12.
MOE said that the remaining close contacts involving Learning Point students who attended the affected class that the tutor taught have tested negative.
The Ministry of Health's contact tracing is ongoing.
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CASES AT EDUFIRST LEARNING CENTRE
The Yio Chu Kang Primary School student who had tested positive for COVID-19 had attended Edufirst Learning Centre at Hougang, MOE said.
Based on test results of close contacts from the same centre, a student from Palm View Primary School and a second student from Yio Chu Kang Primary School tested positive on May 15 and May 14 respectively.
Both were last in school on May 12, MOE said.
READ: COVID-19: Schools to conduct CCAs online, suspend external activities
MOE announced on Friday tighter COVID-19 measures for schools and institutes of higher learning, including conducting all co-curricular activities online and suspending all external activities.
"Students taking school buses must wear masks at all times throughout the journey and refrain from interacting with each other." MOE said.
Private tuition and enrichment centres are strongly encouraged to move lessons online during this period of heightened risk. The education ministry will step up inspections and enforcement of these locations to ensure compliance with safe management measures, it said on Sunday.
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