HCMC to have children back in school by Feb. 14

According to a Tuesday decision by the city administration, children aged 3-5 can return to boarding kindergartens where teachers will instruct them in proper Covid protection, including wearing masks and washing hands.

For the first phase of reopening kindergartens, children will not have their breakfast at school.

Primary schools will resume in-person classes depending on the Covid-19 risk level in their localities.

For schools in high-risk areas, students of 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will continue to study online, and first and second graders will only have one session per day. Primary schools in very high-risk areas will remain closed.

A similar rule will be applied to six graders.

Only schools in low and medium risk areas will allow students back to class as normal. Those in high-risk areas will teach sixth graders both online and directly while schools in very-high risk areas will stay shut.

Parents will decide whether to send their children back in school.

Ho Chi Minh City has already vaccinated all children from 12 with two Covid shots.

Sixth graders and primary students have been staying home and studying online for eight months now under the impact of the fourth Covid-19 wave.

In Can Gio District, however, the Thanh An kindergarten, primary, secondary, and high schools in the eponymous island commune resumed classes for all grades on December 13.

In October it became the first locality in the city to reopen schools.