All 47 students from St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School, and 12 staff have been tested negative for the coronavirus after being in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case involving a Secondary 4 student.
This comes along with the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s update on 15 June where the only community COVID-19 cases reported were three work pass holders, with no imported cases.
47 St Anthony’s Canossian Sec Students, 12 staff are Well
As part of precautionary measures, these 47 students and 12 staff of St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School were put on Leave of Absence (LOA) by MOE or Home Quarantine Order (HQO) by MOH.
The students are “currently well”, said Ms Liew Wei Li, MOE’s Director of schools in a CNA report.
Since the incident, the school has also undergone the necessary cleaning and disinfecting to prepare for students who will return back to school.
According to Ms Liew, Secondary 1, 2, 4 and 5 students are said to resume classes from Monday and will follow the weekly rotation schedule that was previously announced.
Photo: Ministry of Education, Singapore/Facebook
Infected Student Likely to Have Been Infected During Circuit Breaker
The Secondary 4 student that was tested positive for COVID-19 was likely to have been infected during the Circuit Breaker period, rather than after schools reopened on 2 June.
Results from a serological test confirmed that it was a past infection, said health authorities.
This was part of an expanded surveillance testing that was done following the end of the Circuit Breaker period (since 2 June).
The 15-year-old’s form teacher had found her unwell during a daily visual and temperature screening exercise. Thereafter, she was isolated and sent home.
The testing applied to all students above the age of 12 and school staff who were diagnosed with acute respiratory infection (ARI) when they first see a doctor.
Safe distancing measures and management will still apply when students return back to school daily from 29 June 2020. | Photo: iStock
Students Disallowed to Sit for Mid-Year Mother Tongue Language O-level Exam, Parents Appeal to School
In light of the HQO restrictions, affected students will not be able to partake in the upcoming Mid-Year Mother Tongue Language (MTL) GCE O-Level examination.
They affected students—who are still under HQO—will only be allowed to sit for the Year-End MTL exams as they will have to complete a second swab test before MOH lifts their quarantine order.
Following the decision, some parents raised their concerns and requested for the school to allow their children to take the exam.
To reassure parents of affected students and to provide further explanation, letters were sent out by the school.
It sought to inform parents that they can reach out to the school if they require additional support from the Mother Tongue Language teachers, according to reports.
Students to Return to School Daily from 29 June
Following the recent announcement of the move into Phase 2 of post-Circuit Breaker, Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister of Education mentioned that students will resume daily lessons from 29 June 2020.
Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will also gradually increase the number of students back on campus for face-to-face learning, as announced in the Government portal.
With safe distancing and management measures put in place, including the wearing of face masks (or shields in special circumstances), schools will forge ahead with the weekly rotation plan until then.
More details are to be released by MOE, Mr Ong said.
This has indeed been a trying time for all families, and hopefully this piece of news will motivate Singaporeans to move forward amid this new normal.
Lead image via Google Maps.
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