HCMC students apply Covid-19 prevention protocols to re-enter class

Twelfth graders at Trung Vuong High Shool in District 1 queue to enter their school Wednesday morning.
They are made to disinfect their hands along the way. Secondary and high school seniors have started resuming in-person classes after the pandemic forced them to stay home and study online for seven months.

A parent sees her daughter off to school.

Students have their body temperature checked at entrance.

A ninth grader of Luong Dinh Cua Secondary School in Thu Duc City has her hands disinfected and her body temperature checked at once. With students returning to class, schools across HCMC have all tightened Covid-19 prevention measures as the outbreak across the city remains complex, with around 1,400 daily cases detected on average since early December.

A 12th grader completes the health declaration procedure before class.

A teacher checks a health declaration form before letting a student in class.

Teachers welcome students back to school.

Vu Thi Minh Hieu, deputy principal of Luong Dinh Cua Secondary School, informs students about all necessary procedures to protect themselves and others from Covid-19.

“It is much easier to interact with students with in-person classes, but I’m still worried about them getting infected,” said teacher Tran Van Thang at Trung Vuong High School.

Twelfth grader Cong Son at Trung Vuong High School wears a face shield over his mask.
“This is our last year studying together so returning to school would give us the chance to have more memories of each other. But still, the ongoing outbreak makes me worried,” he said.

Most students are excited about returning to class and seeing their friends.
For now, only ninth and 12th graders attend school in HCMC while the rest continue online studies. In Can Gio District, however, Thanh An kindergarten, primary, secondary, and high schools of the eponymous island commune resumed classes for all grades Wednesday. In October, it became the first locality in the city to reopen schools.