STUDENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TEST BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOLS
This highlight content is prescribed by the Ministry of Health in the Official Dispatch No. 796/BYT-MT dated February 21, 2022, regarding guidance on COVID-19 prevention and control when organizing on-site learning.
Specifically, education institutions are not allowed to force all students to test before returning to schools for on-site learning; test is only required for suspected cases (those with symptoms of fever, cough, dyspnoea, etc., or other suspected symptoms) or those who have been in contact with F0 cases.
Besides, this Official Dispatch also provides guidance in case of detecting an F0 case in school. To be specific: Students (other than F1 cases) who have a negative rapid antigen test result shall go to school normally. F1 cases whose rapid antigen test results are negative shall be subject to home quarantine and monitor health at home or places of residence for 5 days and shall be tested on the 5th day, in case they have received at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with the last dose given for at least 14 days, or have been recovered from COVID-19 within 3 months. Those whose test results are negative for SARS-CoV-2 on the 5th day are allowed to return to schools.
Unvaccinated F1 cases or F1 cases who are not fully vaccinated shall be subject to home quarantine and monitor health at home or places of residence for 7 days and shall be tested on the 7th day. Those whose test results are negative for SARS-CoV-2 on the 7th day are allowed to return to schools.
For preschools, kindergartens or childcare groups, if there is one child in the class of who tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 (F0 case) by rapid antigen method, all children in that class shall be quarantined and monitored their health at home or places of residence for 7 days and tested on the 7th day. Those who are tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 on the 7th day are allowed to return to schools, the schools and their parents shall continue monitoring the children’s health for the next 3 days, etc.
