Back to school: Health minister explains new rules amid quarantine restrictions

The Ministry of Health has developed rules and recommendations for organizing the educational process in the new academic year in the context of the coronavirus epidemic.

That's according to Minister of Healthcare Maksym Stepanov who spoke at the Svoboda Slova [Freedom of Speech] panel show on ICTV, according to NV.

"I am sure that if these rules are followed, the educational process will be safe," he said.

Stepanov noted that the health ministry had developed a procedure for conducting an external independent assessment for school graduates, and that it went down safe.

At the same time, Stepanov stressed that the rules for the epidemiological safety of children at school are the same throughout the country.

"We have clearly enough said which schools shall operate and which shall not under the adaptive quarantine. It is clearly defined that only in cities and districts classified as a red hazard level, only there shall the educational process be suspended. All other school operate," he said.

I am sure that if these rules are followed, the educational process will be safe

The Ministry has approved a protocol for cases where teachers or students contract COVID-19, Stepanov added.

He specified that in such cases, it's the epidemiologist who decides.

Read alsoCOVID-19 in Ukraine: Gov't introduces new quarantine zones"After the case with the student is confirmed, they need to take this child, put a mask on them, take them to another room where they will stay. Then they need to let fresh air into the classroom, disinfect all surfaces that the child touched, and inform parents. Depending on the child's condition, they go home with their parents for self-isolation, the family doctor is notified, then the family doctor calls a mobile team, which runs tests to confirm or deny the coronavirus. If corona is confirmed, the epidemiologist defines, depending on the child's contacts, who shall go for self-isolation. All this is quite clearly defined in the algorithms," he said.

Stepanov noted that in the event of a student's illness, "the epidemiologist will not send for self-isolation the entire school, children who have not been in contact with the sick child."

If corona is confirmed, the epidemiologist defines, depending on the child's contacts, who shall go for self-isolation

"The same applies if, for example, some teacher falls ill: decisions on self-isolation will be made depending on their contacts. This does not mean that the whole school goes for self-isolation," the minister said.

Quarantine restrictions will affect the catering system at schools. At the same time, there is no ban on visiting cafeterias, the minister stressed.

"Buffet mode is prohibited. It's clearly laid down in our recommendations that different age groups not intersect, that no more than four students are allowed at the table, that there shall be social distancing, that all cafeteria employees wear face masks and gloves," explained Stepanov.

2020 Academic Year amid quarantine: background

• On August 25, the Ministry of Health updated anti-epidemic rules for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in grades 1-4 will be allowed to attend schools without needing to wear face masks or respirators.
• Sanitizers should be available at school entrances. Students and teachers are expected to wash hands after each class.