DepEd encouraged to plan gradual reopening of schools as more vaccines arrive in PH

The Department of Education (DepEd) and other government agencies has been urged by Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin to plan a gradual reopening of schools as COVID-19 vaccines continue to arrive in the country.

The safety and security of students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel must be paramount, but my preference is reopening in the first week of September but only after the faculty, students, and nonteaching staff are fully-vaccinated,

he said.

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Earlier, DepEd said that it is planning to start the next school year on Aug. 23, although they clarified that President Rogrigo Duterte will still have the final decision to push it through.

Garbin said that allowing face-to-face classes in all school under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) and college and senior high schools in GCQ areas would be the ideal and realistic scenario provided all faculty, non-teaching staff and students are vaccinated.

Since individuals below 18 years old will not be vaccinated against COVID-19, Garbin said they should be given free vaccines against influenza, hepatitis, and other standard vaccines already available.

Free vaccines against influenza, hepatitis, and other standard vaccines that are already available should be given to individuals below 18 years old who will not be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those vaccines can give the younger people some level of protection, rather than none at all,

Garbin pointed out.

He added that for junior high schools, they may reopen after a month if the senior high schools safely reopen under strict minimum health standards and rules. As for Kinder to Grade 6, he said that safe reopening can be done in January 2022.

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