Weekly COVID-19 Testing as Schools Start In-Person Learning

TheIndonesia.id - Jakarta provincial government will carry out regular COVID-19 testing every week for teachers and students, as school in the capital have started in-person learning.

The test will be done in 10 percent of total schools in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Head of disease prevention and control at Jakarta’s health office Dwi Oktavia said the plan is part of active case finding (ACF) or test and tracing efforts to detect COVID-19 cases.

“As in-person learning continues, we’re conducting active case finding through weekly swab test on teachers and students from 10 percent of schools. Therefore, we can get estimation of case surge potential,” Oktavia said on Tuesday, January 4, as reported by Antara.

Members of COVID-19 Task Force are also deployed to schools that conduct in-person learning to ensure strict implementation of health protocols by teachers and students. In addition, schools are also ordered to actively evaluate and improve daily learning activities so that all technical details can be adjusted in accordance with health protocols.

Health office works together with the education office to monitor if any case is detected in schools.

“If a student is infected, we will investigate the school and carry out contact tracing,” Oktavia added.

She added that government will continue to look at recent situation and developments as they will be the basis for the next policies and regulations.

On Monday, Jakarta provincial government has started to allow in-person learning at schools with 100 percent capacity.

The policy is in accordance with Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB) of Four Ministers on learning activities during COVID-19 pandemic. Jakarta’s education office also issued a regulation that maps out the rules that must be implemented by schools during the in-person learning.

Deputy governor of Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria reminded every concerned parties to always rigorously implement health protocols as the school opening doesn’t mean the country is free from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) has expressed support over the plan but warned every stakeholder to always put the health and safety of children as the foremost priority.

“IDAI support the implementation of in-person learning at the right time and place because children’s health and safety is the most important thing,” secretary general of IDAI Hikari Ambara Sjakti said.