School is finally starting! Don’t worry, do these first

The 2020 fall semester is coming. Under the normal conditions of epidemic prevention and control, what preparations should schools make before the start of the semester? What are the requirements for teachers and students to return to school? How to manage after the start of the semester? Wang Dengfeng, Director of the Office of the Leading Group for the Response to the New Coronavirus Epidemic of the Ministry of Education and Director of the Department of Physical Education, Health and Art Education, gave an authoritative answer.

New rules for epidemic prevention and control in autumn and winter

Q: What are the new requirements for school epidemic prevention and control in the new semester?

Answer: In view of the epidemic prevention and control situation in autumn and winter and the need for full resumption of school, the General Office of the National Health Commission and the General Office of the Ministry of Education revised and updated the relevant technical plans formulated in the early stage, and jointly issued the technical plan for the prevention and control of new coronary pneumonia in colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, and childcare institutions in autumn and winter.

The updated plan cancels the rigid isolation conditions in the original plan, such as "reallocation of student dormitory beds to reduce the number of people and increase the distance", "dining tables and chairs are single-seat in the same direction and maintained at a distance of 1.5 meters", "the number of people living in each dormitory shall not exceed 6 in principle, and the average dormitory area per person shall not be less than 3 square meters", and "the front, back, left and right distance of each student (desk) shall be maintained at 1 meter", so as to better ensure the normal education and teaching order and the full resumption of school.

At the same time, the updated version of the plan puts forward clearer requirements for the control of key areas in schools, school gate control, and health management of teachers and students. It has added content such as "keep the school gate closed, check the health code of faculty and students when entering the school, and ensure the health of those entering the school" and "students and faculty and staff from medium- and high-risk areas must show the school a nucleic acid test report within the past week when returning to school."

Strengthen school management and strictly control the "school gate"

Q: What preparations should the school make before school starts?

Answer: Schools should prepare disinfectants, masks, gloves and other epidemic prevention supplies in advance. Colleges and universities should set up (temporary) isolation rooms and assign dedicated personnel to be responsible for school health facility management, health protection, supervision and implementation. Before the start of school, primary and secondary schools should thoroughly clean the school environment and air-conditioning system, carry out preventive disinfection, set up temporary waiting areas near the school gates, and fully staff school doctors or health teachers according to the number of faculty and students in accordance with relevant regulations. Before opening, childcare institutions should thoroughly clean and disinfect the environment and air-conditioning system in the park, and set up observation rooms or temporary isolation rooms.

Q: How to strengthen daily school management?

Answer: In terms of daily management, colleges and universities insist on implementing the school infectious disease epidemic reporting system and the sick absence tracking and registration system. Primary and secondary schools should strengthen morning and afternoon inspections of faculty and students, increase evening inspections for students who live in the dormitory and attend evening self-study, and adhere to the "daily report" and "zero report" systems. Faculty and students who are absent due to illness should closely track their medical results and disease progression. Strictly implement the return to class certificate inspection system, and promptly check the recovery certificates of students with infectious diseases who return to class. Childcare institutions should adhere to the "three reports a day" system and roll call system in the morning, noon and evening, and grasp the dynamics and health conditions of faculty and staff and children every day.

Question: How to keep a tight control on the school gate?

Answer: Colleges and universities strictly conduct temperature checks on faculty and students when they enter the school, check their health codes, and ensure that those entering the school are in good health. Primary and secondary schools implement relatively closed campus management, comprehensively sort out all entrances to the school, and no unrelated personnel outside the school are allowed to enter the school. Teachers and students must verify their identities and have their temperatures checked when entering the school. Understand the health status of faculty and students 14 days before school starts, and their travel history in medium- and high-risk areas. Childcare institutions should understand the health status of faculty and staff and children in advance, register and check for admission, and conduct health observations.

Q: How to ensure canteen hygiene?

Answer: Colleges and universities should adopt staggered dining and keep a safe distance from others when queuing for meals. Primary and secondary schools should strengthen the cleaning, disinfection and sanitation and safety management of canteens. Childcare institutions should strengthen food and water hygiene. Clean and disinfect dining carts and tableware.

Wear a mask on the way back to school

Fever and dry cough must be reported

Q: Do I need to wear a mask at school?

Answer: College students are required to carry sufficient masks, quick-drying hand sanitizers and other personal protective equipment on their way back to school, and wear masks throughout the trip. Students and teachers on campus do not need to wear masks. Primary and secondary school students should carry spare masks that meet the standards of disposable medical masks or equivalent protection levels. Students in low-risk areas do not need to wear masks on campus. It is not recommended for young children to wear masks while in childcare institutions.

Q: What are the requirements for college teachers and students to return to school?

Answer: Students and faculty members should monitor their own health, measure their body temperature every day for 14 consecutive days before school starts, record their health status and activity tracks, and report to the school truthfully.

Teachers and students of colleges and universities should wear masks and maintain good hand hygiene during their return to school. If they have symptoms such as fever, dry cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, etc. on their way back to school, they should seek medical treatment nearby in a timely manner. If they are on public transportation such as airplanes and trains, they should actively cooperate with crew members and other staff to carry out health monitoring, epidemic prevention management and other measures, and report relevant situations to the school in a timely manner.

Q: What are the requirements for overseas teachers and students to return to school?

Answer: Teachers and students from abroad must not return to school unless they receive notification from the school. When returning to school, they must present nucleic acid test certificate documents to the school in accordance with relevant requirements and strictly abide by local regulations after entering the country.

Q: What should we do if a suspected case is found?

Answer: If the risk level of the COVID-19 epidemic in the area where the school is located changes, it should be implemented in accordance with the local epidemic prevention and control requirements. If students and faculty and staff have symptoms such as fever and dry cough, they should immediately take protective measures such as wearing masks and report to the school in a timely manner. If a suspected case of COVID-19 is found, the school should immediately activate the emergency response mechanism, report to the disease prevention and control agency in the jurisdiction as soon as possible, and cooperate in epidemiological investigations, centralized medical observation of close contacts, and disinfection. General contacts who live and study together should be informed of the risks in a timely manner. If symptoms such as fever and dry cough occur, they should seek medical treatment in a timely manner. After faculty and staff and students recover from illness, they must check the resumption of classes certificate issued by a local qualified medical unit before returning to school.

Many colleges and universities across the country have clarified the start date of the 2020 autumn semester

Come and see if your university is listed

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Source: Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily Weibo

Reporter: Hu Hao

Producer: Yu Weiya

Editors: Xu Xiangda, Li Ang, Chen Zixia

Internship: Guan Tianyue, He Qiuchen