Unjabbed students banned from non-academic activities as phased class resumption starts on Apr 19

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said unvaccinated students will be banned from joining non-academic activities at schools as in-person classes are set to resume in phases starting April 19. 

Speaking on a daily press briefing on Monday, the Hong Kong leader said the timing of school resumption hugely depends on the city's Covid situation. Cchool staff and students will still have to take personal protective measures after returning to school.

She said authorities will distribute some 10 million rapid Covid test kits to schools enabling students to undergo tests daily after school resumption. All staffers and students will have to test negative in rapid tests before returning to school. 

Lam also announced that unvaccinated students will be banned from participating in non-academic activities at school to prevent transmission, just a day after the CE reassured that those students can return to schools.

Speaking at the same press briefing, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung laid down new dates for school resumptions.

Primary schools could, at the earliest, resume half-day in-person classes on some of their levels on April 19, followed by whole-school resumption by May 3.

As for secondary schools, they can allow some of their students to return to campuses for half-day in-person classes starting May 3, after the completion of HKDSE exams for core subjects.  All students can resume in-person classes by May 10.

Meanwhile, kindergartens will resume in-person classes in three phases, with a third of its students heading back to school starting May 3. The number of students allowed in the kindergartens will increase by one-third every week for whole-school resumption by May 16.

The education chief added that authorities will avoid suspending classes at specific schools for every Covid case reported.

“The Centre for Health Protection will follow up on schools that reported Covid outbreaks involving some 5 percent of their students, and will look into the need for class suspension on a case by case basis,” said Yeung.

He noted that schools will no longer suspend classes due to any students being in close contact with Covid patients.

Yeung also added that authorities will strengthen the vaccine pass arrangement at schools, requiring school staff to get their third dose of the Covid vaccine starting May 31, after receiving their first two doses by April 21.