The number of new corona19 confirmed exceeds 3,000 for the fifth day… Full-scale classes from the 22nd, increasing anxiety in the educational field
▲Students are taking a class in a classroom at Beondong Elementary School in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul on the morning of September 6, when school attendance was expanded in earnest. (Joint photo) (Newsis)
The number of new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has risen to 3,000 for the fifth consecutive day. In the education field, anxiety is growing ahead of the nationwide expansion of school attendance.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that as of 00:00 on the 21st, 3,120 new confirmed cases of Corona 19 were counted. Due to the decrease in weekend diagnostic tests, the ‘holiday effect’ provided by confirmed patients is also not working. In the metropolitan area alone, there have been around 2,500 confirmed cases. In the non-metropolitan area, the number of confirmed cases is increasing rapidly in all areas except Gyeongbuk area and Jeju area.
Other quarantine indicators are also showing signs of deterioration. The death toll increased by 30 in one day. The number of severe and severe cases increased by 9 to 517. Usually, COVID-19 deaths go through the stomach and severe stages after being confirmed. Therefore, as the number of deaths increases, it is common for the number of stomach and severe cases to decrease.
The red light was also turned on for all schools, which will be expanded nationwide from the 22nd.
According to the Ministry of Education, full-scale classes will begin on the 22nd at elementary, middle, and high schools in the metropolitan area. In the case of Seoul, overcrowded schools can control the number of students attending, but in principle, all students can attend classes. It is the first time in more than two years that the restrictions on school attendance at all schools across the country have been lifted since Corona 19 entered Korea.
However, with the recent surge in the number of confirmed cases, especially in the metropolitan area, concerns are growing about the influx of COVID-19 into the school through parents and family members. According to the report, as of 00:00 on the same day, the rate of primary vaccinations for those aged 12-17 years was only 39.8%. Children under 11 years of age are not eligible for vaccination. If even one source of infection enters the school, it can spread to a large-scale group infection.
Periodic ventilation is difficult in winter, and due to the nature of the school, if dozens of students stay in the same space for a long time and there is even one confirmed case in the school, students have no choice but to limit their attendance. In addition, students living with a family member who is confirmed or self-quarantined will not be able to attend school as before. In the end, in a situation where the spread continues, it is realistically difficult to fully return to school even if classes are extended.
The government has introduced an incentive to allow students who have completed vaccinations to go to school even if they are in self-quarantine if they meet certain requirements. It is a kind of high-education policy devised in a situation where it is difficult to postpone school attendance due to problems such as the academic gap and lack of care. However, some are accepting the vaccine incentives for students as a ‘forced vaccination policy’ rather than a ‘prevention of infection at school’.
Shin Hyun-wook, head of the policy department of the Federation of Korean Teachers’ Associations (the Federation of Korean Teachers’ Associations), said, “Even if a youth is confirmed, the risk of serious and death is low, and there is a risk of side effects from the vaccine, so the principle of self-vaccination must be observed.” no,” he said.
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