'수요일' 예정대로 고3 등교 시작..."여건따라 학년별 격주제 등 분산 등교"
South Korea is set to reopen its schools this Wednesday, May 20th, as announced last week, starting with high school seniors.
Despite fears of another wave of COVID-19, officials believe they have the situation under control.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
South Korean quarantine authorities say the current measures of distancing in daily life will be maintained,... despite the latest cluster infection in Seoul's central district of Itaewon.
"If current outbreak trends continue,... our stance is that the cluster infection from Itaewon will be stabilized within the scope of control of our quarantine authorities."
With this,... the nation's schools are set to reopen on Wednesday... as announced last week,... starting with high school seniors.
While there are still concerns,... a further postponement is deemed impossible considering the nation's academic schedule.
"We cannot let the eleven years of preparation by our students be in vain due to the COVID-19 outbreak."
The education ministry is considering alternatives across regions,... such as dividing up classes and holding classes every other day or biweekly.
For instance,... sophomores will go to school during the first week,... while freshmen will restart next week.
Schools are also mandated to strictly abide by quarantine guidelines.
Students or teachers whose body temperature is above 37-point-5 degrees Celsius have to stay home,... while first responders will be dispatched to school immediately if anyone shows symptoms of COVID-19.
Over the weekend,... President Moon Jae-in stated that further infections linked to Itaewon seem to be under control thanks to the country's swift virus testing and contact tracing efforts.
In a Facebook post,... President Moon also noted the daily number of domestic transmissions dropped to the single-digit level for the second straight day on Sunday.
He also thanked members of the public for faithfully complying with the principles of wearing face masks and sticking to distancing guidelines.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.