Secondary and tertiary schools are no longer at risk of being completely closed because of COVID-19, as on-site classes are allowed to continue even if the schools have several COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Education said.
Previously, schools were required to suspend in-person teaching if COVID-19 cases or contacts were confirmed in one-third or at least 10 of their classes.
From yesterday, junior-high and high-school students who sit close to a COVID-19 case are to be sent home for three days and provided with a rapid test kit, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Photo: CNA
Teachers and students at tertiary education institutions are free to discuss whether to switch to online lessons until the end of the semester if there are COVID-19 cases in their class, it said.
Regulations are different for elementary and preschools, as children in Taiwan under the age of 12 have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said, adding that their classes would be suspended for three days if someone tests positive for COVID-19.
On the fourth day, the students would be required to take a rapid test, provided by the school, and can return to class if their result is negative, he said.
Private cram schools and tutoring centers would be required to adhere to rules pertaining to the education level of their students, he added.
From April 20 last year to Friday, 32,193 students were confirmed to have COVID-19, with 31,440 classified as domestic cases and 753 as imported, ministry data showed.
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