INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
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- Masks should be worn by all teachers and admin staff all the time
- All students from 7th grade must wear face masks at all times.
- 5th and 6th grade students are strongly advised to wear masks.
- Students in grades 1 to 4 should wear masks while in school corridors.
- If parents wish to have their children in earlier elementary years to wear masks inside the class, it is acceptable.
- Masks offer important protections. Cloth masks are acceptable and children may find them more comfortable
- Ensure efficient ventilation in classrooms, halls and offices. (refer to MoPH website for HVAC guidance)
- School staff working with students who are unable to wear a cloth face covering and who must be in close proximity to them should ideally wear N95 masks. When access to N95 masks is limited, a surgical mask in combination with a face shield should be used.
- Face shields or other forms of eye protection should also be used when working closely with students unable to manage secretions.
- For certain populations, the use of cloth face coverings by teachers may impede the education process. These include students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students receiving speech/language services, and young students in early education programs. In those cases, face coverings with clear panels in the front can be used.
- Hand washing and/or hand sanitizers at multiple locations across the schools and in the classrooms.
- Create a schedule for frequent hand hygiene, especially for young children.
- Ensure good ventilation in place in all rooms.
- No social gatherings outside of classes for students.
- Avoid gathering of teachers or admin staff
- Disinfection of facilities such as benches, desks, chairs at beginning and end of day, and between classes if children move rooms
- Reusable school classroom equipment to be disinfected between uses.
- Canteens: Refer to MoPH Schools Canteen Guidance.
- Schedule regular cleaning of the school environment daily, including toilets, with water and soap/detergent and disinfectant. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, desks, toys, supplies, light switches, doorframes, play equipment, teaching aids used by children, and covers of books.
- Increase frequency of cleaning in gym and sports facilities and changing rooms, provide hand hygiene stations at entrances and exits when these activities are allowed to resume.
- Specific measures should be in place for students recovering from COVID-19 or those in quarantine e.g. online learning, exams etc.
- Limit cross-school transfer for special programs (e.g. music, academic clubs, etc).
- Consider creating one-way hallways to reduce close contact.
- Place physical guides, such as tape, on floors or sidewalks to create one-way routes.
- Enforcing physical distancing in an outside playground is difficult and may not be the most effective method of risk mitigation. Emphasis should be placed on cohorting students and limiting the size of groups participating in playground time when such activities are allowed to resume.
- Create separate lunch break periods to minimize the number of students in the cafeteria at one time.
- Wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after eating.
- Utilize additional spaces for lunch/break times when not serving food in the classrooms.
- Create an environment that is as safe as possible from exposure to food allergens.
- Lunchtimes: individually plate food for each student, or ask students to bring food from home. Consider boxed lunches to be served in classrooms, rather than mix class groups in a canteen.
- Ensure students who have been in contact with a COVID-19 case stay home for 14 days. The school officials should notify public health authorities in case of a positive COVID-19 case.
- Students who are suspected of having COVID-19 should be isolated in a separate room, and the family notified to take the student for COVID testing and medical care. This should be coordinated through the School Nurse.
- The suspected case information should be reported to the Ministry of Public Health so that the student can be followed to ensure that they were tested and to take necessary action if the test turns positive. This should be done by the school Safety Officer or Principal by calling 16000.
- Sinks used for food preparation should not be used for any other purposes.
- Establish one-way circulation of athletes through gym or sports facilities
- Limit the number of persons allowed in the locker room at one time.
- Equipment and toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized should not be used.
- Avoid sharing toys with other groups of infants or toddlers, unless they are washed and sanitized before being moved from one group to the other.
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