Thailand’s schools resume teaching on site May 17, as the school year begins.
To do this, a series of measures will be put in place:
The first measure is to ensure that at least 60 percent of students aged 15 to 18 are fully vaccinated with two doses, said Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Public Health, Sathit Pitutecha. He also said the ministry has measures in place to control Covid-19 infections when about 35,000 schools resume onsite classes at the start of the new academic year.
The second measure is to ensure that all schools score at least 95 percent in assessments by provincial public health offices under the Thai Stop Covid Plus standard.
The third measure is to screen symptomatic and at-risk students with antigenic tests.
The fourth measure is a contingency plan to ensure that schools remain open even if infections are discovered. Classrooms where students test positive must be cleaned, after which classes can continue as normal.
Sathit added that students who test positive in boarding schools will be placed in school isolation.
He said students or staff who come into contact with infected individuals should not be quarantined if they are vaccinated and have no symptoms.
However, unvaccinated individuals with high-risk contacts should be quarantined for five days and then monitored for symptoms for another five days. People who come in contact with infected people should be tested for TKD on days 5 and 10 after contact.