On January 4, when the preliminary convocation of freshmen at public elementary schools in Daegu and Gyeongbuk area began, teachers meet the children in a drive-through method at Jeongpyeong Elementary School in Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongbuk. [사진 출처 = 연합뉴스] The quarantine authorities have announced that they will carefully assess the risk of a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in the lower grades of elementary school.
At a regular briefing on the 23rd, Kwon Joon-wook, head of the 2nd Division of Central Defense Countermeasures Headquarters (Bang Dae-bon), said, “I will evaluate the risk of Corona 19 again in detail” at a regular briefing on the 23rd. I will actively work on countermeasures,” he stressed.
Earlier on the day, Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun said, “There are concerns about learning gaps due to the prolonged remote classes, and the burden of care for parents is increasing.
“I am worried about the lack of sociality and depression of children who have not met their friends for a long time,” he said. “The Ministry of Education consulted with the quarantine authorities to prepare the new semester class method and school quarantine strategy in advance.”
Deputy Head of Headquarters Kwon replied, “The quarantine authorities will also consult with the education authorities and related experts.”
He said, “If you look at the content announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), children and adolescents account for about 30% of the world’s population. In the case of Corona 19 outbreaks, only about 8%,” he said. “The analysis of the WHO is that it falls in children under the age of 10.”
“However, among these contents, some point out that youth, especially 16-18 years old, that is, in Korea, junior high and high schools have more group outbreaks than elementary schools. In conclusion, WHO does not properly observe the quarantine regulations in schools. Except for the situation that does not exist, he said that the school has not become a large-scale group infection environment especially centered on elementary schools.”
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