MP asks why school still open after 16 Covid-19 cases

 

Batu Kawan MP Kasthuriraani Patto has called on the government to clarify its grounds for closing schools following 16 reported cases of Covid-19 at SJK(C) Keng Koon in her constituency.

Kasthuri said while a school was previously ordered to close after only one case was detected, SJK(C) Keng Koon has so far remained open, despite positive cases involving 15 students and one teacher.

"A check with the school authorities and the Seberang Prai Selatan District Education office stated that there was no necessity to close the school even though there have been 15 students and one teacher who have been diagnosed with being infected with Covid-19.

"This is alarming as earlier in January this year, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Sulaiman 1 in Kuala Terengganu had been ordered to close for 14 days after eight students were found to be positive," she said.

She also cited the closure of the Tun Fatimah Form Six College in Durian Daun, Malacca, after one teacher tested positive there.

In this case, she said the chain of command for a school’s closure appears to be from the district or state health department to the district education department, which would then instruct the school to close.

"The Education Ministry and Health Ministry must come clean on what constitutes a school’s closure as it's been seen in the past that for a school to close due to Covid-19, having even one person who is positive is adequate," she stressed.

"I urge both ministries to be consistent in how instructions are meted out for school closures.

"A delay in instructing schools to close after reporting positive cases simply means that the authorities are allowing more children, teachers, support staff and other workers in the school to be infected," she said.

Kasthuriraani further urged the government to consider all teachers in Penang as primary frontliners with priority to be vaccinated, particularly those in schools with active clusters.

Penang recorded 205 new Covid-19 cases as of 5pm today, after a spike recorded yesterday which was attributed to the DTI Juru immigration centre cluster. - Mkini