Ismail Sabri: Wearing Facemasks In School Not Required Unless Showing Symptoms
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Students and teachers who do not exhibit any symptoms of Covid-19 are not required to wear face masks in schools.
Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob explained that this was according to the government’s standard operating procedure (SOP) on the reopening of schools that was released previously.
The use of face mask is not compulsory. Schoo only have to provide them if there are any students or staff that show symptoms during school sessions.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob via The Sun Daily
He said today (17 July) during his daily press conference, that based on the Education Ministry’s guideline, schools are only required to conduct temperature screening of students and staff, provide soap and hand sanitizers, and check for possible symptoms.
He added that those who need further information of clarification could obtain the guidelines from the Education Ministry’s website.
We went ahead to check it out for you and discovered that the word “pelitup muka”, or facemask in English was mentioned 9 times in the guidelines. Here they are below:
Section 5.1.3: Roles and Responsibilities of School’s Administrator – the guideline says that the school’s administrator is responsible for explaining and teaching the students, teachers, and other school personnel about the spread of Covid-19, highlighting the importance of washing hands and using hand sanitizer, using a facemask when it is needed, and practising social distancing.
Section 6.2.10: Infrastructure Management – the guideline states that the school’s administrator is responsible for providing a sick room for both daily and boarding schools to be used as isolation rooms for students with symptoms before they receive treatment. It adds that the room must be equipped with facemasks and hand sanitiser.
Section 6.3.12: Safety of Students, Teachers and School Personnel – the guideline states that the school’s administrator must provide facemasks to students with symptoms and isolate them in sick rooms while waiting for their parents or guardians to take them home.
Section 6.3.13: Safety of Students, Teachers and School Personnel – The guideline states that the school’s administrator must ensure that students with immunity problems always wear a facemask while they are in school.
Section 6.3.15: Safety of Students, Teachers and School Personnel – The guideline states that the school’s administrator must give safety briefings to cleaning, canteen and catering personnel.
The school administrator must also ensure that staff are constantly reminded to have their temperature screened on a daily basis before starting work, not be allowed on the school premises if they are showing any signs and symptoms, practise social distancing, wear facemasks, practice hand hygiene and follow other safety procedures.
Section 6.6.4: Dormitory Management – the guideline states that the school’s administrator must conduct health screening of students during registration. Any student with temperatures of 37.5°C and above or those showing any signs and symptoms must be isolated in a sick room, be given a facemask for them to wear, and either sent to a clinic for treatment and sent home to their guardian or parents.
Section 6.6.8: Dormitory Management – The guideline states that while staying in the dormitories, sick students must be isolated, given a facemask to wear, and sent to the health clinic or home to their parents or guardian.
Section 7.7.5: Safety of Students, Teachers, and Staff – The guideline states that the school’s committee must provide facemasks for students, teachers, or staff to use if they show any signs or symptoms.
Section 7.9.1: Parent/Guardian Involvement – The guideline states that parents or guardians must help private education institutions by ensuring that the children under their care are supplied with facemasks.
Referring to these 9, it is clear that the guideline does mention several times that wearing facemasks in schools is not required unless a student or member of staff are exhibiting signs and symptoms of an illness.
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