Coronavirus Singapore
Yio Chu Kang Primary pupil gets infected at home
Those in close contact with boy quarantined; full home-based learning for pupils till Tuesday
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On the case of the Primary 1 pupil with Covid-19, the Ministry of Education said last night that it was not "a school-based infection" but that it stemmed from a household member. The school premises were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on Wednesday.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
A Primary 1 pupil at Yio Chu Kang Primary School tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said last night that it was not "a school-based infection" but that it stemmed from a household member.
A note from the school to parents seen by The Straits Times said the pupil was in class on Monday and was well, but he did not attend school on Tuesday as he felt ill and consulted a doctor.
Other pupils and staff who were in close contact with him were placed on quarantine on Wednesday, and will remain so until May 24. They will also be tested for Covid-19.
All other pupils will move to full home-based learning until next Tuesday as "it will take some time to finalise the results of the testing and epidemiological investigations", said MOE.
The ministry added that it is in contact with the school to provide support for teachers and pupils in conducting online learning.
The school premises were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on Wednesday, said the note to parents.
The school-based Raffles Student Care Centre will remain open for those enrolled from 7am to 7pm on home-based learning days.
All after-school activities, including co-curricular events, will be suspended from next Wednesday until next Friday for all pupils, except for a few Primary 5 and 6 pupils.
The schedule for the remaining mid-year exams and weighted assessment for pupils from Primary 4 to Primary 6 will be adjusted as well, the school told parents.
MOE said: "With the increase in the number of local cases over the past week, we urge all students and staff to continue practising good personal hygiene and adhering to safe management measures."
Yio Chu Kang Primary is the third school to be affected by the surge in Covid-19 community infections in the past two weeks.
A 15-year-old student at Edgefield Secondary School tested positive for Covid-19 on April 30, while an 18-year-old student at Victoria Junior College tested positive on May 7.
In-person lessons at Edgefield Secondary School resumed on Monday after about 1,500 students, staff and external vendors of the school tested negative for Covid-19.
In a separate update, MOE said physical lessons at Victoria Junior College will resume next Monday after students, staff, vendors and visitors tested negative.
It added that the junior college student has been linked by the Health Ministry to the Changi Airport cluster.
"To date, those who are on quarantine order have also tested negative for their swab tests and are well," the ministry said.
