Let fully-jabbed seniors return to school: HCMC department

In-person classes would depend on the pandemic situation in each district, the department’s director Nguyen Van Hieu told a meeting Friday, adding a proposal will soon be sent to the city administration.

Hieu said each district would finish giving the first shot to all teenagers aged 16 and 17 within this week and work its way down to reach 12-year-old children.

The city had inoculated 39,756 people aged 12-17 by Thursday after rolling out the vaccination program for those under 18 on Wednesday.

As greenlighted by the Health Ministry, it has been using the Pfizer vaccine for this age group.

The department on Wednesday had proposed to reopen schools in areas with low and medium coronavirus risks.

In-person classes should be resumed in areas considered as having low and medium coronavirus risks. Non-public schools may also allow boarding, semi-boarding and transport students around by bus if they can ensure safety, it said.

Schools must satisfy safety criteria, including social distancing. They must also be prepared to switch to online classes should the situation worsen.

The department has yet to suggest an exact date for schools to reopen, saying districts should make the call themselves on the pandemic situation in their areas.

The department announced earlier this month that all schools would reopen in January 2022.

The city has around 1.7 million students in over 2,400 schools. Except for Thanh An Primary and Secondary-High schools on Thanh An Island of Can Gio District, others are currently opening online.