Guidance for Managing Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Educational Settings (Updated September 2021)
This amended guidance explains the actions school leaders should take to reduce the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in their school. This includes public health advice, endorsed by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
It is for leaders and staff in:
- Primary schools
- Secondary schools (including sixth forms)
- Higher education institutions.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) expects private schools to follow the control measures set out in this guidance in the same way as public schools, and public health and safety protocols applies equally to all schools.
As COVID-19 becomes a virus that we all have to learn to live with, there is now an imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education. The MOH is working collaboratively with the Ministry of Education to ensure that appropriate preventive measures are adopted to minimize transmission of the virus as a vast number of students return to school across the TCI.
Every effort needs to made to ensure that schools are a safe environment for students and teachers and that the relevant protocols are in place to protect the learning environment which has been so badly disrupted as a result of the pandemic.
Safe communities are needed in order to ensure safe schools and therefore mitigation efforts in the wider community need to be strengthened in order to reduce community transmission and by extension protect educational settings and children.
Risk assessment
All schools are required to comply with Public and Environmental Health COVID-19 Regulations and put in place appropriate control measures. School leaders must regularly review and update their risk assessments - treating them as ‘living documents’, as the circumstances in school settings and the public health advice changes. This includes having active arrangements in place to monitor whether the controls are effective and working as planned. School leaders should contact the MOH public health team for more information on what is required in relation to public health measures in order to manage any potential risks. They should make sure contingency plans (sometimes called outbreak management plans) cover the possibility that in some areas it may become necessary to reintroduce stricter control measures for a temporary period.
Each school should take careful stock of their environment in order to have in place the necessary protocols based on their specific unique circumstances. Issues such as spacing and class sizes must be reviewed on a case by case basis to ensure compliance with measures to mitigate against disease spread within the classroom setting.
All plans need flexibility and contingencies to ensure continuity of learning in case there is a need to revert to online learning for a period.
Overarching Principles
The MOH has established some overarching principles which should be incorporated into each schools plan as a minimum and are as follows;
- COVID19/Outbreak plan must be developed by each institution
- Focal points at each school to be identified and be responsible for COVID-19 plan and its enforcement and compliance
- Clear communication of plan to all stakeholders including teachers, support staff, parents and children
- Resources must be allocated to execute plan
- Clear lines of communication with MOE and MOH including reporting
- Vaccination for all eligible staff
- Encouraging vaccination for eligible students with parental consent for children aged 12 years and up
- Testing strategy for staff and students-regular testing of unvaccinated teachers-once/twice weekly using lateral flow devices, testing of vaccinated staff monthly, parents to encourage students to get tested through community testing or private sector on a routine basis as a screening tool. This will strengthen surveillance and identify positive cases in a proactive manner in order the identity cases and facilitate implementation of quarantine and contact tracing to mitigate against disease spread.
- Consistent IPC (infection prevention and control activities)-respiratory and hand hygiene, social distancing, ventilation, environmental cleaning, cohorting of classes to avoid mixing, screening for symptoms on entry to schools (self-assessment), symptomatic staff and students to be separated and sent home for quarantine
- Maintain records of class attendance to facilitate contact tracing if needed
- Limit visitors (use visitors logs) and enforce IPC measures
- Staggered lunch breaks and breaks should be taken within bubbles to avoid mixing of classes in well ventilated areas with social distancing
- Risk assessments to be conducted for school trips abroad and should only be carried out if deemed essential and procedures are in place to mitigate risks including additional testing on return before rejoining classes.
- Establish partnerships with private medical entities to provide support and feedback to MOH
- Robust exclusion policy needed to ensure that symptomatic (and teachers) students do not attend school until they have been tested and receive a negative result.
- Include education for all age groups on an ongoing basis about public health measures pitched at the level of the students
- Response to positive cases in educational settings will be led by the MOH with testing done in accordance with principles of contact tracing i.e. close contacts only unless other factors dictate as determined by the Public Health Team.
Tracing close contacts and isolation
As with positive cases in any other setting, the MoH public health contact tracing team will work with any confirmed positive case and/or their parent to identify close contacts. Persons may be contacted in exceptional cases to help with identifying close contacts in same manner as managing other infectious diseases.
Individuals will be required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, and any of the following apply:
- they are fully vaccinated
- they are below the age of 12 years
- they are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
They will be contacted by the Public Health Contact Tracing team who will inform that they have been in close contact with a positive case and will be advised to take a PCR test. The team may also encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if required to do so.
Staff who do not need to isolate, and children and young people aged under 12 years who usually attend school, and have not been identified as a close contact, should continue to attend school as normal. Face coverings within the school settings should be enforced and are also recommended for travelling on school buses or other public vehicles.
Scaling up vaccination
The highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant has added an additional layer of concern and complication to this year’s school opening season. The high incidence of COVID-19 in the community makes transmission in schools much more likely. Therefore, we must all commit to reduce the transmission of the virus.
Persons within the 12-15 years age group are being encouraged to take the vaccine that is currently being offered within the TCI which is safe and effective in reducing the risk of infection, hospitalization and death.
We must also continue to follow the public health and social measures we know work, including testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.
Settings will continue to have a role in working with public health teams in the case of a local outbreak. If there is a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in a setting the team might advise a setting to temporarily reintroduce some additional control measures.
In circumstances where face coverings are recommended
Face coverings (whether transparent or cloth) should fit securely around the face to cover the nose and mouth and be made with a breathable material capable of filtering airborne particles.
Face visors or shields can be worn but they are not an equivalent alternative in terms of source control of virus transmission. They may protect the wearer against droplet spread in specific circumstances but are unlikely to be effective in preventing the escape of smaller respiratory particles when used without an additional face covering. They should only be used after carrying out a risk assessment for the specific situation and should always be cleaned appropriately.
The use of face coverings may have a particular impact on those who rely on visual signals for communication.
Every school has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils to support them to access education successfully. Where appropriate, management personnel should discuss with pupils and parents the types of reasonable adjustments that are being considered to support an individual.
No pupil or student should be denied education on the grounds of whether they are, or are not, wearing a face covering.
Stepping measures up and down
Every school should have contingency plans (sometimes called outbreak management plans) outlining what they would do if pupils or staff test positive for COVID-19, or how they would operate if you were advised to take extra measures to help break chains of transmission. Given the detrimental impact that restrictions on education can have on children and young people, any measures in schools should only ever be considered as a last resort, kept to the minimum number of schools or groups possible, and for the shortest amount of time possible.
For most settings it will make sense to think about taking extra action if the number of positive cases substantially increases. Information on what circumstances might lead to considering taking additional action, and the steps you should work through should be clearly outlined in the contingency plan. Public health teams can recommend measures to include as part of the outbreak management responsibilities.
Control measures
- Ensure good hygiene for everyone.
- Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.
- Keep occupied spaces well ventilated.
- Follow MoH public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Ensure good hygiene for everyone
Hand hygiene
Frequent and thorough hand cleaning should now be regular practice. You should continue to ensure that pupils clean their hands regularly. This can be done with soap and water or hand sanitiser. These should be accessible to all staff and students and younger students should be assisted with frequent hand hygiene.
Respiratory hygiene
The ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important.
Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes, using standard products such as detergents (please see https://www.gov.tc/moh/coronavirus/guidance/221-general-cleaning-disinfecting-guidelines-to-prevent-covid-19).
School managers should put in place and maintain an appropriate cleaning schedule. This should include regular cleaning of areas and equipment (for example, twice per day), with a particular focus on frequently touched surfaces.
Keep occupied spaces well ventilated
When school is in operation, it is important to ensure it is well ventilated and that a comfortable teaching environment is maintained.
Any poorly ventilated spaces should be clearly identified as part of the risk assessment and the necessary steps should be taken to improve fresh air flow in these areas, giving particular consideration when holding events where visitors such as parents are on site, for example, school plays.
Mechanical ventilation is a system that uses a fan to draw fresh air or extract air from a room. These should be adjusted to increase the ventilation rate wherever possible and checked to confirm that normal operation meets current guidance and that only fresh outside air is circulated.
If possible, systems should be adjusted to full fresh air or, if this is not possible, then systems should be operated as normal as long as they are within a single room and supplemented by an outdoor air supply.
Where mechanical ventilation systems exist, you should ensure that they are maintained in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations.
Opening external windows can improve natural ventilation, and in addition, opening internal doors can also assist with creating a throughput of air. If necessary, external opening of doors may also be used (if they are not fire doors and where safe to do so).
It is important to take into consideration the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature.
When an individual develops COVID-19 symptoms or has a positive test
Pupils, staff and other adults should follow public health advice on when to self-isolate and what to do. They should not come into school if they have symptoms, have had a positive test result or other reasons requiring them to stay at home due to the risk of them passing on COVID-19 (for example, they are required to quarantine).
If anyone in any school develops COVID-19 symptoms, however mild, they should send them home and they should be advised to contact the health hotlines immediately on 333 0911 or 232 9444 and follow public health guidance.
For everyone with symptoms, they should avoid using public transport and, wherever possible, be collected by a member of their family or household.
If a pupil is awaiting collection, they should be left in a room on their own if possible and safe to do so. A window should be opened for fresh air ventilation if possible. Appropriate PPE should also be used if close contact is necessary. Any rooms they use should be cleaned after they have left. The household (including any siblings) should follow the public health guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
Provisions should be made to ensure that children in quarantine can still receive education through online engagement etc in order to ensure that they do not fall behind.
Parents should report if their child is ill or if a sibling who attends another school is sick to facilitate contact tracing.
Asymptomatic testing
Testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of infection within schools. In response to the latest epidemiological data, we all need to be prepared to step measures up or down in future depending on local circumstances.
Confirmatory PCR tests
Staff and pupils with a positive LFD test results should self-isolate in line with the guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. They will also need to get a PCR test to confirm if they have COVID-19. Whilst awaiting the PCR result, the individual should continue to self-isolate.
Other considerations
All clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) children and young people should attend their education setting unless they are one of the very small number of children and young people under paediatric or other specialist care who have been advised by their clinician or other specialist not to attend.
Schools should ensure that key contractors are aware of the school’s control measures and ways of working.
Admitting children into school
In most cases, parents and carers will agree that a pupil with symptoms should not attend the school, given the potential risk to others.
If a parent or carer insists on a pupil attending school, management can take the decision to refuse the pupil if, in their reasonable judgement, it is necessary to protect other pupils and staff from possible infection with COVID-19. Such a decision would need to be carefully considered in light of all the circumstances and current public health advice.
Remote education
Not all people with COVID-19 have symptoms. Where appropriate, schools should support those who need to self-isolate because they have tested positive or are a close contact, to work or learn from home if they are well enough to do so. Schools should be encouraged to provide temporary remote education to pupils where their attendance would contravene public health guidance or legislation around COVID-19.
Schools should work collaboratively with families and put in place reasonable adjustments so that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can successfully access remote education.
Pupil wellbeing and support
Some pupils may be experiencing a variety of emotions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as anxiety, stress or low mood. Persons can contact the mental health team for support on mental health and wellbeing in schools.
School workforce
School should be best placed to determine the workforce required to meet the needs of their pupils. Clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) people are advised, as a minimum, to follow the same guidance as everyone else. It is important that everyone adheres to this guidance, but CEV people may wish to think particularly carefully about the additional precautions they can continue to take.
Social distancing measures should be encouraged in school settings where possible. Employers should be able to explain the measures they have in place to keep CEV staff safe at work.
The MOH welcomes your support in encouraging vaccine take up and enabling staff who are eligible for a vaccination to attend scheduled vaccine clinics being offered where possible even during term time.
Reference
Note that as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop, the Ministry of Health will provide
updates if any additional precautions are recommended.