INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
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- Ensure efficient ventilation in classrooms, halls and offices. (refer to MoPH website for HVAC guidance).
- Face shields or other forms of eye protection should also be used when working closely with students unable to manage secretions.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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