‘Full SOP compliance key to addressing Covid-19 situation at school’

Woo says from the school management side, they must strictly abide by the SOP set by the Ministry of Health and the Education Department. — Bernama photo

BINTULU (Feb 8): Full compliance with Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) at school remains a key factor when it comes to keeping the schoolchildren safe.

The majority of parents here agree that only by adhering to the SOP, the risk of infection would be reduced.

Michelle Chu

Mother of two, Michelle Chu, believes that parents always worry about their children’s safety first, especially in view of the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus currently.

“My son has completed two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, so this alleviates some worries; still, I do have concerns about the other pupils in his school,” she told The Borneo Post when met after sending her son, who is in Primary 6, to SJK Chung Hua Bintulu early yesterday.

Chu acknowledged that not everyone would do Covid-19 self-test every day, and she was worried to see that many people were still going out for Chinese New Year visits.

“These visits are not only amongst their relatives, but also amongst their friends,” she observed.

Chua Fung Jie

Chua Fung Jie also shared her concern about her children, aged 10 and 12, returning to school.

“Yes, we are worried, but we also understand that they must go back to school and study.

“It has been two years of absence from class; for them to prepare for the examinations, they must return to school,” said Chua, whose children are also pupils of SJK Chung Hua Bintulu.

Harry Tan

In his remark, Harry Tan stressed that one must never ignore the SOP, even with Covid-19 now ‘being a part of the community’.

“We are now living with Covid-19, so strict compliance with the SOP is very important to keep us and our families safe,” said this father of a Form 1 student at SMK Bandar Bintulu.

Tan said for now, his son was still undergoing home-based learning.

Jimmy Wong

Meanwhile, Jimmy Wong said his two children, who had been fully vaccinated, would only go back to school next week.

“If you ask me whether or not I am worried, of course we are concerned for our children’s safety, but for the sake of their education, they must catch up,” said Wong, whose children are currently in Form 3 and Form 4 at SMK Kidurong.

For Muhammad Shamad Ahmad, he regarded school reopening as ‘a relief for all parents’.

Muhammad Shamad Ahmad

“Our kids have endured not having face-to-face learning long enough.

“In fact, they seem to be very motivated to go to school and be directly involved in physical activities and socialising,” he observed.

However, Muhammad Shamad also expressed hope that the Education Department would carry out the planning and mitigation measures accordingly in dealing with isolated Covid-19 cases, especially those related to the Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, SJK Chung Hua Bintulu board’s deputy chairman Alex Woo said from the school management side, they must strictly abide by the SOP set by the Ministry of Health and the Education Department.

Alex Woo

“Many are concerned about the students going back to school right after the festive season because during the festive season, people had been visiting their relatives and friends, which increased the chances of getting Covid-19 infections.

“Thus, extra precaution needs to be practised by all parties,” he pointed out.

Thus, he advised the parents who had noticed that their children were unwell, to let them stay at home.

“The parents must have their children undergo testing first before letting them back to school.”

On the other hand, Woo observed that the parents of preschoolers seemed to have adapted well to the SOP environment at nurseries and kindergartens.

“I believe the parents may feel secure with the high standard of SOP being implemented by the (preschool) operators,” added Woo, who is also a board director of Tadika Pimpin here.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3rw7aQD
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