Hanoi to reopen schools in outskirt areas from Nov 8

Those in the aforementioned grades would be able to attend classes in-person if their communes or towns are deemed to have low and medium coronavirus risks, meaning having no community cases within two weeks leading up to November 8.

The 18 towns and outskirt districts are Son Tay, Ba Vi, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Me Linh, My Duc, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Soc Son, Thanh Tri, Thanh Oai, Thach That, Thuong Tin and Ung Hoa.

In Vietnam, fifth graders are primary school seniors, sixth and ninth are secondary school freshmen and seniors, while 10th and 12th are high school freshmen and seniors.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training said areas with recent community transmission cases would reopen schools at a later date.

Students in downtown districts would continue to study online.

Schools must ensure social distancing and reducing the number of students in a classroom. Teachers who have yet to be fully vaccinated can only teach online classes, the department said.

In-person classes could be suspended if they're deemed unsafe or new coronavirus cases are involved, the department added.

For now, schools are requested to hold off providing lunch on-site for students. Hanoi also encourages schools with large numbers of students to combine both in-person and online classes to ensure social distancing.

Around 96 percent of teachers in Hanoi have now been vaccinated with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shots, and around 62 percent fully vaccinated. Around 79 percent of parents surveyed by the education department have also said they wanted their children to be able to study in-person.