Wuhan virus: MOE urges those on leave to be 'responsible'
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Education (MOE) has strongly urged students and staff who were issued leaves of absence (LOA) during this Wuhan coronavirus outbreak period to be socially responsible and comply with the precautionary measure, even though the leave is not legally binding.
In a media statement on Friday (31 January), the ministry said that as of Thursday, it has issued 14-day LOAs to 852 students and 115 staff across schools, polytechnics and institutes of technical education (ITEs).
Those issued with LOAs are expected to:
Remain contactable at all times
Remain in their homes as much as possible
Minimise visitors to their homes
Minimise time spent in public places and contact with others
Monitor their health and their temperature
The LOAs – which were implemented on Monday – are issued to students and staff who are healthy, but have recently travelled to mainland China. They allow MOE to better mitigate the potential risks posed in schools and institutions, while enabling students to continue with their usual learning and other activities.
According to MOE, there is one student and one MOE staffer who travelled to Hubei province, where the Wuhan virus outbreak is at its most serious. The others travelled to other parts of mainland China.
Those serving their LOA may be issued with quarantine orders if they are at a higher risk.
Students on LOA will be supported via a home-based learning plan. Teachers will assign work from the textbook and workbook to help the affected students keep up with their classmates.
Students will also have access to the Singapore Student Learning Space, an online platform with a range of curriculum-aligned resources to support their learning. Home-based online learning support, such as online tutorials/lectures, are also available for students on LOA in the institutes of higher learning.
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