helo.my: Primary school students will be required to undergo weekly Covid-19 screening tests starting Monday in an effort to prevent education clusters in schools.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this initiative is part of the ministry's new National Testing Strategy.
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"Among the matters in this strategy is the need for primary school students who are below the required age for vaccines, to undergo screening tests on a weekly basis.
"This test should be carried out on at least 10 per cent of the student population in a school. The students will take turns getting tested each week.
"If the pupils exhibit Covid-19 symptoms, of course they will have to be tested. But even if there are no symptoms, tests must be conducted on a sample of the student population to ensure that there are no clusters at the school level," he said at a press conference today.
As per this strategy, the students will undergo a Covid-19 self-test and be monitored by the schools.
Meanwhile, he said, caregivers and visitors are now allowed to visit patients at all health facilities under the ministry, effective immediately.
However, he said this would involve only some categories of patients undergoing treatment.
"After hearing complaints from the people over the visiting policy for caregivers and visitors at the ministry's hospitals, we have decided to allow visits for certain categories of patients.
"For example, patients with critical illnesses and in need of care, critically-ill patients, the disabled, the elderly, who need communication assistance involving paediatric patients, mothers in the process of childbirth and so on," he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
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