VIENTIANE, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has announced all students nationwide can go back to schools on June 2, while final-year classes in primary, lower and upper secondary schools began on Monday.
According to the latest announcement by the Prime Minister's Office, issued on May 15, state and private kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, tertiary education institutions, colleges and universities are expected to reopen on June 2 with strict measures.
Most primary and secondary schools that reopened on Monday have only allowed Grade 5 primary students and secondary students from Grades 4 and 7 back on campus as they have to prepare for tests to gain admission into higher education levels, colleges and universities respectively, local daily Vientiane Times reported Tuesday.
School administrators must implement precautionary measures to prevent further outbreaks of the COVID-19, as was recommended by the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on May 17.
The measures for reopening schools include school administrators keeping their premises clean by cleaning classrooms and grounds and spraying disinfectant around their facilities to reduce the risk of infections.
Administrative staff, teachers and students must wear face masks at all times at school, and parents must also wear masks while picking up their children.
The schools should have soap, hand gel, and hand washbasins for students.
Teachers should arrange suitable seating for students with social distancing of at least one meter and everyone must have their body temperature checked before entering school premises.
School administrators, teachers and parents should monitor students' temperatures closely. Anyone with flu-like symptoms will be taken to a hospital for observation or ordered to stay at home.
If anyone has any flu-like symptoms, they should inform the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Lao Health Ministry announced its first two confirmed COVID-19 cases at its daily press conference on March 24, and so far the country has detected 19 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
