Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As schools up and down the country return to in-personlearning for the first time in months, guidelines are being updated on how todeal with the inevitable situation of positive cases being found in theclassroom. 

TheMinistries of Health, and Education and Training have decided that only closecontacts of any positive cases found must self-isolate; the rest of the schoolcan continue as normal, after testing. 

Underthe document, there are four steps that schools have to follow if COVID isfound in the school. 

Thefirst step is to immediately notify the school’s Principal, the SteeringCommittee and the Safety Team for COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control.

Theschool's medical officer has to immediately transfer the COVID-19 student tothe school's temporary quarantined room, along a separate route that has beenset up.

Thesecond step is that the school’s Principal, the Steering Committee, the SafetyTeam for COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control have to inform thecommune-level health station, or the local health facility that has beenassigned to support the school in the pandemic prevention and control toco-deal with it.

Thethird step is that the teacher in charge of the class must instruct otherstudents to stay at the class until the school’s Steering Committee forCOVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control finish the identification of the listof students, who have direct contact with the positive case, following thehealth ministry’s instructions.

Thecommittee must work with the commune-level health station of the local healthfacility to provide rapid tests for all students in the class. If any othercases of COVID-19 are found, they should be dealt with following the healthministry’s instructions.

Studentswho have not been in direct contact with the COVID-19 student, and provide anegative rapid test result, will be allowed to continue school as normal.

Thosewho had direct contact with the positive COVID-19 case will have toself-monitor at home, regardless of if their rapid test result isnegative. 

Thosewho have received two doses of vaccine, or have recovered from COVID-19 withinthe past three months, are required to take a real-time polymerase chainreaction (RT-PCR) test on the fifth day.

Ifthe test result is negative, the student can return to school as normal thoughthe school and students' parents have to continue monitoring the students'health for the next five days. They must also ensure that everyone follows theministry’s 5K message: Khau trang (facemask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoangcach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (healthdeclaration).

Thestudents, who have direct contact with the positive case but have yet to begiven enough doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, are required to self-quarantine athome for seven days and take a RT-PCR test on the seventh day. If the testresult shows negative, the students can return to school. 

Theschool and students' parents have to continue monitoring the students' healthfor the next three days and guide the students to obey the health ministry’s 5Kmessage.

Thefourth step is to disinfect the classroom after moving all students, who havenot had direct contact with the COVID-19 patient, to another classroom.

Thedocument also said that if a student is found to be infected with COVID athome, the parents have to immediately inform the school and the commune-levelhealth station. The school will make a list of students, who have had directcontact with the COVID-19 student and handle following the health ministry’sinstructions.

Forpreschool students, if a case is discovered, all other students mustself-quarantine at home for seven days. The students are required to takeRT-PCR test on the seventh day. If the test is negative, the students canreturn to school. 

Thehealth ministry also recommends schools organise meals in the classroom forsemi-boarding students, instead of eating at the canteen./.