HCMC schools stay open despite 8 Covid-19 infections

"Contracting infections in classes was what HCMC anticipated and planned for, and all the cases have been handled safely," Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of Ho Chi Minh City, said at a press conference Thursday.

Even classes where the infections were found would continue, he said.

But he did not reveal which schools had reported the cases.

On Monday 128,000 ninth and 12th graders, or 90 percent of the total number, returned to school after seven months of studying online for a two-week trial.

Cu Chi District has deferred the reopening to Dec. 20 after many parents demurred.

All schools have been instructed to scrupulously comply with safety measures both inside and outside classrooms. Students must disinfect their hands, have their temperature measured and furnish health declarations before entering class.

After two weeks the city will review the situation and make a decision about getting more students back to school.

HCMC has had 491,610 Covid cases in the fourth wave that broke out in April, and more than 19,000 deaths.