Assemblies, camps, mass celebrations and other large group and communal activities will be suspended in schools here from today after the first local transmissions of the coronavirus were reported yesterday.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in a joint statement that the suspension affects primary and secondary schools, special education schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute.
Recess times in schools will also be staggered, although co-curricular activities and after-school programmes may continue, but in smaller groups.
These measures to minimise gatherings of students in large numbers aim to improve protection of students and staff against the coronavirus, which originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, said MOE and MSF.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed that Singapore has recorded its first cases of local coronavirus transmission, with four women who had not travelled to Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, testing positive for the virus.
The six new cases reported yesterday bring the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 24.
As for pre-schools, the Early Childhood Development Agency will also step up precautionary measures. Large group and communal activities at pre-schools, including assemblies, will also be suspended.
Health checks and temperature screening for all children, staff and visitors will continue, with the frequency of temperature-taking for children and staff increased.
These measures will also apply to certain social services for vulnerable groups of people, such as residential facilities and disability day centres. Eldercare facilities will also suspend external excursions and large-scale gatherings.
MOE and MSF said that the additional measures will allow them to mitigate the potential risks posed when students gather in large numbers, while allowing schools and pre-schools to continue with most of their usual activities.
They added that schools and pre-schools will closely monitor the health of students and staff, and advise them to see a doctor immediately if they are sick.
"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will implement further measures should the situation escalate," the ministries said.
Parents whom The Straits Times spoke to were worried about the coronavirus situation and welcomed the latest measures.
Housewife Liew Cheng Huan, 53, who has three children in secondary school, said the virus is a real concern now that the number of cases here has gone up to 24.
While she was not completely sure if the new measures announced would make a difference, she said cancelling camps was a good move.
Madam Liew said: "The kids are still in close contact in class. The onus is on us parents to monitor our children's conditions and keep them at home if they are unwell. Schools can't police everything the kids do in and out of the school environment."
For Madam Michelle Teo, 42, whose two daughters are in pre-school and primary school, the measures by MOE and MSF are a way to reassure parents.
The housewife said she would keep her younger three-year-old daughter at home only if she is unwell or if the pre-school organises activities outside school.
"We have to trust the schools to a certain point. It is good to know they have the students' interests at heart," she said.
