The Ministry of Health Has Published It! How Should Coronavirus Precautions Be Taken in Schools During an Epidemic? The Ministry of Health has updated the Epidemic Management and Working Guide and published the measures to be taken in schools. According to the guide, schools should, if possible, avoid accepting visitors during an epidemic. Parents will be asked to sign a declaration that they will not send their child to school if the child shows symptoms. The guide prepared by the Ministry of Health states that parents must sign a commitment not to send their child to school if the child has fever, cough, runny nose, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, or if those symptoms are present in the household.
Within the scope of the guide, students and teachers will wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be available at school entrances, in classrooms and in corridors. Contactless thermometers and spare masks should also be kept on site. The allowed density inside the school is set at one person per 4 square meters; this measurement includes teachers and staff. Classroom layouts should ensure a social distance of 1 meter. Communal areas such as cafeterias and dining halls must follow the specified rules.
Provisions Included in the Epidemic Management and Working Guide
- A school administrator responsible for COVID-19 should be appointed.
- The school building should be cleaned before educational activities begin.
- If possible, the same parent should drop off and pick up the student each day.
- At arrival and dismissal times, students should be handed over and picked up outside the school by parents.
- Teachers, students and other staff at school must wear masks, and masks should be provided at the building entrance for those without one. Everyone at school must wear a mask correctly; masks should be changed if they become damp or contaminated. Hand sanitizer should be used when putting on or changing a mask.
- Contactless thermometers, masks, liquid soap, antiseptic and cologne should be available on site.
- During an epidemic, visitors should be accepted as little as possible.
- Because they increase the risk of transmission, non-essential large gatherings and events should not be held; if an event must be held, open-air venues are preferred.
- In rest areas used by students, teachers and other staff, at least 1 square meter of social distance must be maintained and masks should continue to be worn.
- If a student develops symptoms while at school, their family should be contacted immediately and the symptomatic person should be isolated in a separate area.
- After a symptomatic student, staff member or visitor has been sent home, the area where they were must be ventilated and disinfected.
- Glove use does not replace hand hygiene. Gloves should not be used for routine tasks that do not require them; proper hand cleaning is preferred for protection against coronavirus.
- Seating arrangements in classrooms should not be face-to-face; seats should be staggered or diagonal.
- For contact tracing, the same student should sit in the same seat.
- Classes should be conducted with as few people as possible.
- Shared items such as books or pencils should not be exchanged; such items must be personal to each student.
- Students should remain in the same classroom throughout the day; classroom changes should be avoided.
- Break times should be staggered to prevent large groups of students gathering together.
- Common-use areas in schools should be used on a rotational basis to reduce crowding.
- In on-site services such as cafeterias and kiosks, mask use, hygiene and social distancing rules must be observed. Disposable cups, plates and utensils should be used. During service delivery, measures defined by the Ministry of Health for cafeterias, canteens and vendors under COVID-19 guidelines must be followed.
- Hand sanitizer should be placed next to the entrance door of school transport vehicles. Students, teachers and staff using transport must wear masks and sit in the same seat each day.