Hanoi puts health safety above all when reopening schools hinh anh 1Students of the Tran Phu High School in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, get vaccinated against COVID-19 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung has requested thorough preparations for school reopening with students’ health safety given the top priority.

The official said on November 29 that the Party Committee’s standing members agreed on the necessity to quickly reopen high and secondary schools, but since the COVID-19 situation remains complex in the capital city and nationwide, the move needs thorough preparations and put students’ health safety above all.

In the short term, the city will resume in-person teaching at high schools and centres of vocational training and continuing education in the communes, wards, and townships that are at Pandemic Level 1 or 2 (the two lowest levels) and did not record any new community infections of COVID-19 in 14 days prior to November 30.

The reopening can begin in early December, possibly on December 6, Dung noted.

He pointed out that the number of new COVID-19 cases has been on the rise in Hanoi, which saw more than 5,600 cases, over 35 percent of which were in the community, between October 11 and November 28.

Since November 23, Hanoi has carried out COVID-19 vaccination for people aged 15 - 17, mostly high school students, and over 90 percent of those in this age group have been inoculated.

After a long period of school shutdowns and online learning, over 36,000 ninth graders in 18 outlying districts have returned to school since November 22, and absolute safety has been guaranteed when no infections in schools were reported.

The Secretary said this outcome is a precious experience for the city to expand school reopening, adding that the timely and safe vaccination for children aged 15 - 17 will create a basis for high schools to resume in-person activities soon.

Meanwhile, education authorities was also asked to work closely with the health sector to ensure the progress and quality of vaccination for those aged 12 - 15 and make a plan to reopen secondary schools as soon and safe as possible./.
VNA