Malang Mayor Sutiaji said here on Monday that periodic testing will be conducted to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the school environment.
"COVID-19 testing will be carried out periodically," he affirmed.
The periodic testing will cover all teachers and school staff, the mayor informed.
Meanwhile, for students, the government will conduct random and periodic testing at education units from the level of Early Childhood Education (PAUD) to Junior High School (SMP).
"For teachers, the testing will be carried out routinely. While for students, sampling will be carried out because the number (of students) is large," he explained.
Students who are taking part in face-to-face learning have obtained permission from their parents, he added. The majority of students, especially at Malang 8 State Junior High School, have said that they want face-to-face learning to continue.
"More than 50 percent of students in this school prefer face-to-face learning. From around 150 students that I met, only two students said that they preferred online learning," he said.
As of March 14, 2022, the government of Malang city, East Java, has re-implemented face-to-face learning at 100-percent capacity as the COVID-19 transmission in the city has been successfully brought under control.
The government had earlier halted face-to-face learning in schools due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Malang city has so far recorded 28,034 positive COVID-19 cases. Currently, there are 923 active cases in the city. Of the total confirmed patients, 25,932 are reported to have recovered and 1,179 have succumbed to the virus.
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Translator: Vicki Febrianto, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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