Official Dispatch 9038/SYT-NVY Ho Chi Minh City 2021 temporary guidance on Plan to contain COVID-19 pandemic at schools

To:

- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training;

- People's Committees of Thu Duc city and districts;

- The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control;

- Health Centers of Thu Duc city and districts.

Pursuant to:

- The Government's Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021, promulgating the interim regulation on "safe and flexible adaptation and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic";

- The Ministry of Health's Decision No. 3888/QD-BYT dated September 8, 2020, on promulgating the "Handbook on prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic in community in the new normal";

- The Ministry of Health's Decision No. 4800/QD-BYT dated October 12, 2021, promulgating the interim guidance on implementation of the Government's Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated October 11, 2021.

- The Decision No. 3900/QD-UBND dated November 16, 2021 of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, on the interim regulation on measures for “safe and flexible adaptation and effective control over the COVID-19 pandemic” in Ho Chi Minh City.

- The Decision No. 3588/QD-BCD dated October 15, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on promulgating the set of safety assessment criteria in the COVID-19 prevention and control for early childhood education institutions; general education institutions; foreign language and computing centers; education institutions and units engaged in life skills-based education and extracurricular activities in Ho Chi Minh City;

- The Plan No. 3997/KH-UBND dated November 30, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, on organizing on-site learning at education institutions in Ho Chi Minh City,

In order to control the spread of COVID-19 disease, especially to achieve the dual goals of fighting the pandemic and ensuring a safe environment in education institutions, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health promulgates the Plan to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the safety for students, teachers and employees at early childhood education institutions and general education institutions (in which, the following appendices are enclosed with:

1. Appendix 1: Procedures for detecting and handling COVID-19 cases at education institutions.

2. Appendix 2: Instructions for cleaning and disinfecting in COVID-19 prevention and control).

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health requests relevant agencies and units to implement the Plan. Any problems arising in the course of implementation shall be timely reported to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health for coordination and settlement./.

For the Director

The Deputy Director

NGUYEN HUU HUNG

PLAN TO CONTAIN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ENSURE THE SAFETY FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND EMPLOYEES AT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND GENERAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

(Issued together with the Official Dispatch No. 9038/SYT-NVY dated December 03, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health)

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I. OBJECTIVES

1. To proactively prevent the COVID-19 pandemic at education institutions according to the principle of controlling the risk of infection, early detecting COVID-19 cases, isolating and zoning out outbreaks in time, and prevent the spread of pandemic at schools.

2. To ensure a safe environment and flexible adaptation in education institution, minimizing the interruption of teaching - learning activities.

II. REQUIREMENTS

1. Based on the guidance and general regulations of the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic according to each level of pandemic risk for each field, the school administrators shall proactively develop a plan to organize on-site education and training activities compatible with the pandemic situation as well as the school's conditions.

2. The plan must meet the requirements of pandemic prevention and control, ensuring security and order, fire and explosion prevention, food safety, environmental sanitation, etc.

III. COVID-19 PREVENTION AND CONTROL MEASURES

1. Before reorganizing on-site education activities

- To develop plans for actively responding to pandemic situations arising at education institutions in accordance with practical conditions, clearly stating the coordination with local health agencies (such as medical stations or health centers, etc.);

- To review and consolidate the Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19, COVID-19 safety teams at education institutions, and standing departments on health work at schools;

- To appoint staff in charge of health work at schools to participate in training on rapid testing techniques by health centers of Thu Duc city or districts;

- To review facilities and equipment to ensure environmental sanitation in accordance with regulations (hand-washing areas and toilets equipped with enough soap and clean water, containers for domestic and medical waste, etc.). To provide safe drinking water and separate drinking glasses, etc.

- To enhance ventilation measures for classrooms and working rooms.

- To arrange temporary quarantine rooms and health rooms in accordance with regulations, equipped with biological products for rapid antigen testing.

- To sanitize and disinfect schools, classrooms, school supplies and means of transporting students (if any) according to the instructions of the health sector.

- To disseminate and fully instruct measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in education institutions for administrators, teachers, employees, parents, and students before reorganizing on-site education and training activities.

- To ask students, administrators, teachers and employees to regularly self-monitor their health at home; In case of detecting any symptoms of COVID-19 infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.), they shall not go to school and immediately notify their education institutions and local health establishments .

- Persons working at education institutions (administrators, teachers, service staff, security guards, canteen staff, kitchen staff, etc.) must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

+ Having fully vaccinated against COVID-19;

+ Having recovered from COVID-19;

+ If a person is contraindicated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, he/she shall be tested for screening every week.

2. Upon organizing on-site education activities

- To ask parents or other relevant persons not to enter the campus of education institutions when picking up and dropping off students.

- To check body temperature, make health declarations and ask students to wash their hands with soap or disinfectant solution before entering their class; Persons showing signs of COVID-19 infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) or having epidemiological risk factors shall not be allowed to enter schools or classes.

- To monitor and record absences of students and their reasons for handling if they are related to the pandemic.

- To early detect cases with symptoms of COVID-19 infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) for timely handling.

- To ensure the requirements on distance in classrooms and working rooms; limit activities involving close contact in classrooms; minimize communication between classes in the same block (floor) or between blocks (floors).

- To ask students, administrators, teachers and employees to wear facemasks (except when eating and drinking); Preschool children are not required to wear facemasks.

- To require frequent hand-washing with soap or sanitizer, especially before entering class (at the beginning of lessons or after break time) and after class.

- To increase ventilation for classrooms and working rooms (prioritizing natural ventilation by opening doors).

- To disinfect and clean frequently touched surfaces (in accordance with the guidelines in Appendix 2).

- To check and promptly replenish sanitary facilities and other necessary items in service of pandemic prevention and control.

3. With regard to schools providing pick-up services for employees and students

- Vehicles must be disinfected after each time of picking up and dropping off employees and students;

- Drivers and driver assistants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must keep a daily contact log;

- To check body temperature and ask employees and students to make health declarations, wash their hands before getting on vehicles and wear facemasks during travelling;

- Persons on such vehicles shall comply with the specific requirements on distancing to prevent and control the pandemic according to each pandemic period (the Decision No. 3900/QD-UBND dated November 16, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee).

4. With regard to schools providing semi-boarding services

- To arrange students to eat in separate areas for each class, ensuring appropriate distance (eating in classrooms is encouraged);

- If napping, two students must keep a distance of at least 1m;

- To monitor and remind students not to gather during lunch break.

5. With regard to schools providing boarding services

- To organize communication and guidance on COVID-19 prevention and control at dormitories in accordance with regulations;

- To assign personnel to regularly inspect and supervise the pandemic prevention and control work in dormitory areas;

- Persons entering dormitories must make health declarations, have their body temperature checked and wear facemasks;

- Accommodation rooms must be airy and clean; fully equipped with disinfectant solution, cleaning equipment, waste containers with lids that are placed at positions suitable and convenient to use.

6. With regard to schools providing school meal/canteen services

- To request service providers to sign commitments to comply with COVID-19 prevention and control measures with education institution;

- To coordinate in the management of schedule and working time of employees.

- To ask employees to adhere to the 5K rules.

7. Other measures

- To organize health declaration, check body temperature, disinfect hands for employees and persons who come to work before entering schools;

- With regard to persons who come to work: to clearly stipulate the scope of movement inside the headquarters of education institutions;

- During working at schools, employees shall comply with the 5K rules and other personal hygiene measures, immediately notify standing departments on health work if detecting any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

IV. Organization of implementation

1. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training

- To direct its affiliated units and education institutions to implement the Plan to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the safety of students, teachers, employees and the  procedures for handling F0 cases at education institutions;

- To coordinate with the health sector and localities to supervise and support the implementation of the plan at education institutions.

2. Steering Committees for COVID-19 prevention and control of Thu Duc city and districts

- To inspect and supervise the compliance with regulations on pandemic prevention and control at education institutions in their locality; closely monitor the pandemic situation at education and training institutions located in their locality for timely intervention;

- To direct the Health Centers to coordinate with the Education Divisions of Thu Duc city and districts in guiding education and training institutions in their locality to implement the Plan to ensure safety against COVID-19 and the procedures for detecting and handling COVID-19 cases at education institutions; assist such institutions in handling when detecting F0 cases, especially testing for COVID-19.

3. The City Center for Disease Control

- To assist localities in speciality in implementing the COVID-19 pandemic control plan; ensuring the safety of students, teachers, employees, and implementing the procedures for detecting and handling COVID-19 cases at education institutions;

- To closely monitor the pandemic situation at education institutions for early warning of the risk of pandemic spread; support Steering Committees for COVID-19 prevention and control of Thu Duc city and districts when it is necessary to review the operation of education institutions.

4. Education institutions

- Based on the actual conditions of education institutions, to develop a plan to implement measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring safety at institutions according to the guidance of the education and health sectors; disseminate and guide all teachers, staff members and employees to grasp such contents for apply in practice when necessary;

- To organize propaganda and dissemination on measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic for students and parents, creating consensus in the course of implementation;

- To keep in touch and remind parents of students to immediately notify schools if their children are infected with COVID-19;

- To appoint staff in charge of performing rapid antigen testing, trained by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control or health centers of Thu Duc city and districts;

- To prepare biological products for rapid testing at education institutions.

5. Teachers and employees

- To make health declarations in an honest and complete manner;

- To have fully been vaccinated against COVID-19 according to the schedule;

- To comply with regulations on pandemic prevention and control at the workplace and accommodations.

Appendix 1

Procedures for detecting and handling COVID-19 cases at education institutions

(Issued together with the Official Dispatch No. 9038/SYT-NVY dated December 3, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health)

I. In cases where a person is suspected of COVID-19 infection at an education institution

Upon detecting a person with one of the symptoms suspected of being infected with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.):

- Notify the Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19 safety team of such education institution.

- Transfer the person suspected of COVID-19 infection to a temporary quarantine room (do not move by elevator or if using the elevator, it shall be disinfected in accordance with regulations).

- If the person suspected of COVID-19 infection is a student, the education institution shall immediately notify his/her parents or guardians for coordination in handling.

- Take samples in order to perform SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid testing for persons with any symptoms suspected of COVID-19 infection.

II. In cases where a student is infected with COVID-19 at an education institution

Step 1:

- Notify the positive result to the Head of Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19 safety team of such education institution and the student's parents;

- Continue carrying out temporary quarantine for F0 case;

- Immediately notify the medical station and health center of locality where the education institution is located to coordinate in implementing measures to prevent and control the pandemic;

- Organization of implementation:

+ The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19 and COVID-19 safety team of such education institution shall organize the temporary quarantine for F0 case.

+ The local medical station and health center shall report to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control when receiving information about F0 case at the education institution, and assist such institution in handling the COVID-19 case; at the same time, notify the health center of locality where F0 case resides to coordinate in handling in cases where F0 case has got home.

Step 2:

- Assess the health status of F0 case:

+ If F0 case shows any signs of respiratory failure, rapid or difficult breathing or SpO2 below 96%: Contact and transfer F0 case to a hospital with COVID-19 specialized department/unit in the same area, or transfer to the nearest field hospital for COVID-19 treatment by ambulance.

+ If F0 case has no symptoms or has mild symptoms: Counsel and guide parents to take the student back home in order for the local medical station where they reside to handle according to regulations.

- Organization of implementation: The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19 safety team of such education institution shall coordinate with the Medical Station and Health Center of district where the education institution is located for handling.

Step 3:

- Immediately suspend the lesson to clean and disinfect the classroom and test for all students and teachers present in the class (F1 cases) by rapid antigen testing (pooled sample testing with no more than 3 samples per pool).

- Other classes shall operate normally.

- Organization of implementation: The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control, COVID-19 safety team, and school medical staff of such education institution shall coordinate with the Medical Station and Health Center of district where the education institution is located for handling.

Step 4:

- Monitor F1 cases: all students and teachers who have been in the same class with F0 case and have had negative test results.

+ With regard to F1 cases who have fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from COVID-19, they are entitled to go to school and work as usual but must adhere to the 5K rules, perform testing on the third and seventh day and every 7 days afterwards according to rapid antigen testing method until there is no F0 case detected; make their health declarations every day and report to the school, and perform testing as soon as they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

+ With regard to F1 cases who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but have risk factors such as obesity and underlying disease, they shall carry out home-based quarantine in accordance with regulations, make health declarations every day and report to the school as well as the medical station of locality where they reside; perform rapid antigen testing on the fourteenth day or as soon as they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

+ With regard to early childhood schools, pre-primary classes and childcare groups: if there is one positive case for SARS-CoV-2, all students in the same class (F1 cases) shall be quarantined at home in accordance with regulations.

Note: If detecting 02 or more F0 cases in 02 different classes on the same day, the school shall immediately organize screening tests according to the following scale:

+ For 02 classes on the same floor: test for students and teachers of all classes on the same floor;

+ For 02 classes on different floors in the same block: test for students and teachers of all classes in the same block;

+ For 02 classes in different blocks: if there is an epidemiological relation all students and teachers of the school will be tested. If there is no epidemiological relation, the school shall only handle according to such classes.

- Organization of implementation: The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control, and COVID-19 safety team of the education institution shall coordinate with the local Medical Station and Health Center for handling as prescribed.

III.  In cases where a student is infected with COVID-19 at home

 Upon receiving information from the student's family, an education institution shall perform the above procedures starting from step 3.

 IV.  In cases where an employee is infected with COVID-19 at an education institution

 Step 1: Follow the same procedures for handling students infected with COVID-19

 Step 2:

 - Assess the health status of F0 case:

 If F0 case shows any signs of respiratory failure (rapid or difficult breathing or SpO2 below 96%): contact and transfer F0 case to a hospital with COVID-19 specialized department/unit in the same area, or transfer to the nearest field hospital for COVID-19 treatment by ambulance.

 If F0 case has no symptoms or has mild symptoms: Counsel and guide F0 case to self-assess their satisfaction of at-home quarantine criteria (in accordance with the Decision No. 4038/QD-BYT dated August 21, 2021, on promugating the  Interim guidance on home-based management of people infected with COVID-19).

 + If eligible for home-based quarantine and ensuring infection prevention for persons in the same household, especially high-risk persons (persons over 65 years old, persons over 50 years old with underlying diseases, obese persons with BMI >25, pregnant women and women in their first two-week postpartum), the health department of education institution shall contact the health center of district where the institution is located to manage and support the transfer of F0 case’s information to the health center of district where F0 case resides to receive care, provide treatment packages (packages A-B and C) and manage such person during his/her home-based quarantine as prescribed.

 + If not eligible for home-based quarantine: F0 case shall self-suggest a suitable quarantine place (concentrated quarantine facilities in wards, communes, townships, districts or quarantine facilities with fees, etc.).

 - Organization of implementation: The health department of education institution shall coordinate with the medical station of locality where the education institution is located for handling.

Step 3:

 - Temporarily suspend operations in areas where F0 case is detected for cleaning and disinfection; all F1 cases shall be tested by rapid antigen testing method (pooled sample testing with no more than 3 samples per pool).

 - Define F1 cases as those who are in close contact with F0 case at a distance of less than 2m for more than 15 minutes such as sitting at the same desk, sitting at the same dining table, including students in classes taught by teachers who are F0 cases.

 - Organization of implementation: The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control, COVID-19 safety team and school medical staff of the education institution shall coordinate with the Medical Station and Health Center of district where the institution is located for handling.

Step 4:

- Monitor F1 cases:

+ With regard to F1 cases who have fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from COVID-19, they are entitled to work as usual but must adhere to the 5K rules, perform testing on the third and seventh day and every 7 days afterwards according to rapid antigen testing method until there is no F0 case detected; make their health declarations every day and report to the school, and perform testing as soon as they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

+ With regard to F1 cases who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but have risk factors such as obesity and underlying disease, they shall carry out home-based quarantine in accordance with regulations, make health declarations every day and report to the school as well as the medical station of locality where they reside; perform rapid antigen testing on the fourteenth day or as soon as they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

+ With regard to early childhood schools, pre-primary classes and childcare groups: if their teachers and caregivers are positive for SARS-CoV-2, all students in the class (F1 cases) shall be quarantined at home in accordance with regulations.

- Organization of implementation: The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control and COVID-19 safety team of the education institution shall coordinate with the local Medical Station and Health Center for handling.

V. In cases where an employee is infected with COVID-19 at home

Upon receiving the information, the education institution shall perform the above procedures starting from step 3.

♦ Note:

Based on this guidance, the education institutions’ Steering Committees for Pandemic Prevention and Control shall coordinate with local health units (medical stations and health centers) to assess the actual situation for deciding to narrow or expand the screening test scale in their institutions.

The Steering Committee for Pandemic Prevention and Control of Thu Duc city and districts shall depend on each specific case to decide on suspension of education institutions’ operation.