Schools at all levels in Taiwan will start school as originally planned, despite the potential BA.5 subvariant outbreak. The authorities promised to carry out a more rigid disease fighting measures.
School teachers are preparing for a smooth parents' day by using rubbing alcohol to sterilize the seats. Boxes of quick-screening tests must be inventoried. Schools at all levels in Taiwan will start at the end of August and early September. However, the epidemic has not subsided, and the BA.5 variant wave may also arrive. Officials have now focused again on how to prevent outbreaks on campuses.
Yen Shu-chu, Principal, Taipei Municipal Changan Elementary School: “If a student is diagnosed, his or her class will be suspended for three days. Students then must be screened with quick screening tests on the fourth day. A student can only enter the school with a negative test. This is our SOP when school starts.”
The Ministry of Education held a meeting with all the nation's education bureaus and departments' directors on the evening of the 18th. It announced its epidemic prevention plan for the first three weeks of school. Classes will be suspended for three days if there is a confirmed diagnosis in the class. However, starting in the fourth week, schools will provide quick screening tests. One can still attend class with a negative test result. In addition, the original three-day epidemic prevention leave will be voided. Instead, if the student interacts with a confirmed case without wearing a mask for 15 minutes, one may still attend class with a negative quick screening test result.
Yen Shu-chu, Principal, Taipei Municipal Changan Elementary School: “Of course, we will coordinate our SOPs with this rolling policy. We already have triple the number of rapid screening tests compared to our school population, or about 2,800 tests. If the test amount is not enough, we will rely on the Education Department to increase our inventory to about five times.”
Schools should prepare epidemic prevention materials for the challenge. The MOE responded that relevant regulations must still be discussed with the Central Epidemic Command Center and will be explained before the school starts. Some doctors said it is not necessary as for whether to postpone the start of school due to the epidemic.
Huang Kao-pin, Deputy Director, China Medical University Hospital: “The whole world is now coexisting with the virus. If we delay school again, it seems we will affect the educational rights of students. Normal children are less susceptible to infection. Get vaccinated. That would be safer.”
The doctor said that children have fewer ACE2 receptors than adults, so they are relatively less susceptible to infection. However, parents are advised to consider whether to let their children vaccinate mainly to avoid MIS-C or other severe diseases.
使用酒精幫座位消毒，學校老師為了家長日能順利進行，做好萬全準備。一盒一盒快篩試劑，都要盤點和整理，全台各級學校將在8月底、9月初迎接開學。但疫情還沒有平息、BA.5疫情也可能到來，校園如何防疫又再次被關注。
台北市長安國小校長嚴淑珠表示：「如果一個學生確診的話，那就該班就停課3天，第4天一定要快篩完畢，陰性了以後才可以進到學校來，目前為止，開學以後，我們還是用這樣的方式在執行。」
教育部18日晚間召開全國教育局處長會議，傳出防疫的規劃方向，包含開學前3週，維持班上有人確診就停課3天，但是第4週改採學校提供快篩，檢測陰性就繼續上課。另外，和確診、快篩陽性個案有摘下口罩活動15分鐘，則是從原本的3天防疫假，調整為快篩陰性就能繼續上課。
嚴淑珠表示：「那當然，我們（配合政策）滾動式修正，快篩劑已經有全校的數量的3倍，大概2800多支在做好準備，3倍的量如果不夠的話，我們會依據教育局來文的話，可能會提高到5倍左右。」
地方學校，備好防疫物資應戰，而教育部則回應，相關規範還要和指揮中心研商，會在開學前說明。至於是否要因應疫情延後開學，有醫師認為還不需要。
中國醫藥大學附設醫院副院長黃高彬表示：「整個世界現在目前都是與病毒共存的這種情況，我們再延後開學，好像是對這種學生的受教權都會受到影響，正常小孩子本來就比較不容易感染，有疫苗的趕快去打疫苗，這樣就會比較安全一點。」
醫師表示，兒童體內的ACE2受體比成人少，所以相對比較不容易感染，主要是避免MIS-C或其他重症，因此建議家長，可以考量看是否讓小孩施打疫苗。
