To minimize the risk of schoolchildren contracting Covid-19, schools conducting face-to-face (F2F) classes should not be used as vaccination centers, Education Secretary Briones said.
“Sa paningin ko, iyong vaccination sites should be separate from where the classes are being held dahil kailangan we have to make sure na iyong level of exposure will be minimized,” she said in a “Laging Handa” briefing.
The education secretary said schools should not be two things at once to ensure the safety of schoolchildren.
“Ang suggestion natin isang activity lang ang gagawin natin related to health at hindi natin paghahaluin kasi may mga eskuwelahan tayo na ginagawa na health center din […] for us, that is quite risky kasi kung may mga iba’t ibang illnesses na dadalhin [at baka] ma-expose iyong mga bata,” she said.
Several schools nationwide have been used by the government as vaccination sites amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are about 3.1 million students participating in F2F classes nationwide.
As of April 4, the Department of Education has nominated 17,479 public and private schools to conduct F2F classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic. John Ezekiel J. Hirro