Singapore Polytechnic student has Covid-19, some lab and practical classes from cohort to go online or be deferred

SINGAPORE — Some laboratory and practical classes in Singapore Polytechnic will go online or be deferred for two weeks after a student was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus, it said in a statement on Sunday evening (May 16).

The shift of these lab lessons to online learning will affect only people in the student’s second-year cohort at the Media, Arts and Design School. The move will kick in from Monday until May 28, the polytechnic said.

The student had tested positive on Saturday and was last on campus on May 11 while having no symptoms.

The symptoms began on May 13 and the student saw a doctor the following day. 

The polytechnic said: “We have been in touch with our student to provide the necessary support. The areas of the campus that the student visited have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.”

Quarantine orders have been issued to staff members and other students who were in close contact with the infected student. The school did not identify the person who tested positive.

The Ministry of Health said later in the night during its update on Covid-19 cases that the student, who is 18, works part-time at Star Arts arts supply store located at Westgate mall in Jurong East. 

The polytechnic said: “We have advised the students concerned to monitor their health closely and will give them our fullest support to ensure that there is minimal impact to their learning through home-based learning,” 

The announcement closely followed one on Sunday where new safety measures will be put in place for students at all primary and secondary schools, as well as junior colleges, Millennia Institute and special education schools, to full home-based learning in the light of the rapid rise in community cases recently.

A different set of tighter measures applied to institutes of higher learning, including polytechnics and universities. For these, in-person sessions such as labs, practicals and final-year projects are allowed to continue so long as the necessary safety measures are in place.

Other than the measures for the second-year cohort of the Media, Arts and Design School, all other schools at Singapore Polytechnic will be conducting lectures and tutorials online, with the exception of labs, practical sessions and final-year projects, which can continue in-person.

The polytechnic said that staff members and students on campus must be masked at all times, and activities where people are not wearing masks — including dining — will only be allowed at designated areas with at least 1m distancing between individuals. 

“We will continue to monitor the situation and take guidance from the national posture.”