本局檔號

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網址 : http://www.edb.gov.hk 電子郵件 : [email protected] Web site : http://www.edb.gov.hk E-mail : [email protected]

中華人民共和國香港特別行政區政府總部教育局 Education Bureau

Government Secretariat, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The People's Republic of China

本局檔號 Our Ref : EDB(SDCT)3/PRO/10/1/1 電話 Telephone :

來函檔號 Your Ref. : 傳真 Fax Line :

31 August 2020

To: Supervisors / Principals of All Secondary Schools / Primary Schools / Special Schools and Kindergartens (excluding schools offering solely non-local curriculum)

Dear Supervisor / Principal,

Arrangements of Resumption of Face-to-Face Classes in Phases for All Schools

In view of the then epidemic situation of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Education Bureau (EDB) announced in early August that all schools in Hong Kong should suspend all face-to-face teaching activities upon the commencement of the new school year. During the period, schools should help students learn at home through various modes of teaching. As the epidemic has shown signs of subsiding recently, and having regard to the health experts’ advice, we have the basis for schools to prepare for the resumption of face-to-face classes in two phases in the second half of September. Face-to-face classes will be conducted on a half-day basis in order to reduce the risk of infection. For the schedule of kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools to resume face-to-face classes, the details are set out at Annex 1.

We understand that some class levels that have to prepare for public examinations and have the urgency to return to school campuses to take make-up classes after months of class suspension as well as early commencement of the summer vacation. In addition, some activities, such as orientation, counselling and campus familiarization classes, are better conducted face-to-face, and are difficult to be run entirely online. In view of this, before the first phase of resumption of face-to-face classes (on 23 September), schools can, taking into account their school-based circumstances, consider allowing a small number of students to return to campuses for

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learning activities for not longer than half a day from 16 September. The upper limit for each school will be one sixth of its total number of students.

Health Precautionary Measures

Schools should be well-prepared for resumption of face-to-face classes. For environmental hygiene, schools should thoroughly clean and disinfect the school premises (including the boarding section, if applicable). Schools are reminded to pay special attention to the hygiene of classrooms, special rooms, washrooms and tuck- shops (if any). Schools should alert school staff and students of the importance of maintaining personal hygiene (especially hand hygiene), and that of wearing of masks.

In principle, all personnel including school staff, students, parents and visitors, are required to wear face masks when they enter into the school premises. Students should wear a mask when they are taking school buses. Schools should also request the operators of school buses / nanny vans to enforce the rule of wearing masks in order to reduce the risk of viral transmission.

Schools should also request parents to check the body temperature of students every day before returning to school campus. They should submit the temperature record forms with parents’ signatures to schools for checking. School staff should check their body temperatures every day before going to work. If school staff and students have fever, or have respiratory symptoms, they should not go to work/school.

At school entrances, schools should measure the temperatures of staff, students, parents or visitors. If students are found to have fever or develop respiratory symptoms, schools should inform the parents or guardians immediately and urge them to seek medical advice promptly.

Lessons and Timetable Arrangement

To minimise the risk of infection, schools should ensure proper social distances between students in periods such as recess time, when they are engaging in activities, and when they are queueing up for toilets or at the tuck shop. In classrooms of primary and secondary schools, schools should arrange students to sit in single rows with a “face-to-back” setting, and teachers should teach students who are facing one direction. Classrooms with desks set side-by-side in double rows will need to have the setting of the desks re-arranged. Schools should also maximise the use of space in classrooms to ensure proper physical distances among students. In addition, to avoid crowd gathering at school entrances or playgrounds, schools can flexibly arrange their timetables according to their school-based circumstances so as to arrange students to

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return to/leave schools as well as having their recess time in different batches. For special schools with boarding section, when arranging extra-curricular activities for boarders outside classrooms, they should maintain adequate physical distance and be reminded to pay attention to personal hygiene.

All face-to-face classes should only be conducted on a half-day basis. This is to avoid students having to take off their face masks over luncheons so as to minimise infection risk. Schools should not arrange whole-school learning or other activities in the rest of the day when half-day classes have already been conducted. This is to avoid the gathering of a large number of students on campus for the whole day.

Reporting Confirmed Cases of Infection

If a school staff or student has met any of the conditions listed below, the concerned staff or parent should inform their school immediately to allow the school to make contingency arrangements. The school should inform the EDB under such circumstances:

(i) Staff or student is being a confirmed case of COVID-19; or

(ii) Staff or student has been classified as a“close contact of an infected person” with COVID-19

Preparation Work

To assist schools to prepare for class resumption, the EDB is updating the

“Guidelines to Schools on Class Resumption”. The updated guidelines will soon be uploaded onto the EDB’s website for schools’ reference:

(EDB’s website > School Administration and Management >Administration > About School > Prevention of Communicable Diseases in Schools > Guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases> Guidelines to Schools on Class Resumption.) To protect the health of students, schools should observe the guidelines and put in place the preventive measures properly.

Schools should inform stakeholders (including school staff, school bus operators, tuck shop operators, etc.) of the relevant arrangements prior to resumption of face-to-face classes, as well as remind parents the items they need to pay attention to.

Parents are also required to declare the health status of their children. Schools may make reference to the declaration form template at Annex 2.

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For enquiries, please contact your respective Senior School Development Officers / Senior Services Officers.

Yours sincerely,

(Dr Verena LAU) for Secretary for Education

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Resumption of Face-to-Face Classes in Phases for

Secondary Schools, Primary Schools, Special Schools and Kindergartens^*

Date of Face- to-Face Classes

Resumption

Secondary Schools Primary Schools Kindergartens Special Schools

1st Phase September 23

(Wednesday) S.1, S.5 and S.6 P.1. P.5 and P.6

Upper Kindergarten

(K.3)

 In principle, special schools would take into account the diverse learning needs and circumstances of students with different types of special educational needs, by making reference to the arrangements of mainstream schools, to set out the details of resumption of face-to-face classes and inform parents separately.

2nd Phase September 29

(Tuesday) S.2 to S.4 P.2 to P.4

Nursery Class and Lower Kindergarten (K.1 and K.2)

* If parents have concern on the resumption of face-to-face classes, they can consider keeping their children at home. Schools are advised to be flexible in handling students’ leave applications, as well as providing all necessary assistance to cater for the needs of students.

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Annex 2

2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Declaration form for travel history and health status of students

Name of School

Name of Student : Class : Sex : M/F

Please complete the below form and return to schools (Please put a “” in the appropriate box)

Part A – Travel history of your child outside Hong Kong in the past 14 days



My child has not been away from Hong Kong in the past 14 days prior returning to school premises



My child has paid visit outside Hong Kong in the past 14 days prior returning to school premises

Duration: From (Month) (Day) (Departure date) To (Month) (Day) (Arrival date)

Destination (Please specify countries and cities) : ________________________________

Part B – Whether your child has confirmed infection of COVID-19



My child has not confirmed infection for COVID-19.



My child has confirmed of COVID-19 infection and has already recovered. Hospitalization Period : From (Month) (Day)

To (Month) (Day)

Part C – Health status of those taking care of your child, or those living with your child



Person taking care of or living together with my child has not confirmed infection for COVID-19



Person taking care of or living together with my child has confirmed infection for COVID- 19, the person has recovered / is still receiving treatment in hospital / has been discharged from hospitals and taking medicine. (please delete as appropriate)

Relation with my child (please specify)



Person taking care of or living together with my child, has not been classified as “close contact of an infected person”^*of COVID-19.

Part D – Current health status of your child



My child has no symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulty and sore throat.

Name of Parent/Guardian (in Block Letter) : Signature of Parent/Guardian : Date :

* In general, close contact means having cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and body fluids of a confirmed patient.